O night of lovers, inspirer of poets and singers,
O Night of phantoms, of spirits and fancies,
O Night of longing, of hopes and memories,
You are like a giant dwarfing the evening clouds
And towering over the dawn.
With the sword of fear you are armed, and with
The shining moon you are crowned, and with cal, and silence you are veiled.

With a thousand eyes you penetrate the depth
Of life
With a thousand ears you hear the moan
Of death and non-existence.
The light of heaven shines through your darkness,
For Day is but light overwhelming us with the obscurity of the earth.

Before the awe of eternity you open our eyes and
Give us hope,
For Day is a deceiver that blinds us
With measures and quantities.
You are perfect silence revealing the secrets of
The awakened spirits of heaven,
But day is an uproar agitating the souls that
Lie between the hooves pf purpose and wonder.
You are Justice that brings unto the heaven of
Slumber the dreams of the weak, that they may be united
With the hope of the strong.

You are a merciful monarch who closes with his
Fingers of enchantment the eyes of the miserable,
And conveys their hearts into a gentler realm.

The lovers’ spirit finds refuge between the folds of
Your blue garment,
And upon your feet, drenched with dew, the
Forlorn shed their tears.

In the palms of your hands, where lies the fragrance
Of the valleys, strangers find ease for their yearnings.

You are companion of lovers; you console the
Desolate; you shelter the alien and the lonely.
In your shadow poet’s affections rest, and
The hearts of the prophets awaken,
And under your crown the
Wisdom of the thinker takes form.
You inspire poets; you bring revelation to the
Prophets; you instruct the philosophers.

When my soul wearies of humanity, when my
Eyes tire of staring into the face of the day,
I wander where the phantoms
Of past ages sleep.

There I pause before a dim presence who strode
With a thousand feet over-the earth, setting it atremble.

There I look into the eyes of shadow, and
Listen to the rustle of invisible wings, and feel
The soft touch of the unseen garment of silence,
And withstand the terrors of black darkness.

There I see you, Night, awful and beautiful,
Poised between heaven and earth, veiled in
Mist, cloaked in cloud, laughing at
The sun, ridiculing the day, taunting the slaves
Who sleeplessly worship the idols?

I see your wrath against kings sleeping upon beds of
Velvet and silk;
I see thieves flinching before your vigilant gaze as
You guard the bebes in slumber;
I see you weeping over the forced smiles of prostitutes
And smiling over tears of true lovers;
I see your right hand raising up the good and your
Feet trampling the wicked.