Nocturne

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of profound exhaustion and a desperate plea for peace, almost a surrender to oblivion. The opening lines, "Close my darling both your eyes / Let your arms lie still at last," establish a tone of weary finality, as if the speaker is guiding a loved one, or perhaps themselves, into a state of deep rest. The "lake of falsehood lies" and "wind of lust" suggest a turbulent past or inner turmoil that the speaker wishes to quell, finding solace only in stillness and the cessation of desire. The central tension arises from the contrast between the "hopeless sands" and the soothing "moving hands" that make the speaker's "aching flows away." This implies a profound weariness with the harsh realities of existence, finding a temporary, almost mystical, relief in a connection that can absorb pain. The imagery of "human pyramids" blazing with longing adds a layer of cosmic or societal weariness, suggesting that even grand human endeavors are driven by an insatiable, perhaps futile, desire. The most striking craft element is the juxtaposition of intimate comfort with vast, indifferent cosmic elements. The "blind eternal night" serves as the ultimate backdrop, indifferent to the personal pleas for healing. The celestial bodies, "Orion's horn" and "th' Egyptian light," are presented not as guides or witnesses, but as distant, impassive markers of time and space. This cosmic scale amplifies the speaker's desire for a personal, quiet end to suffering, emphasizing their isolation. These lyrics resonate because they tap into a universal longing for respite from life's relentless pressures and desires. The writing masterfully uses gentle, almost lullaby-like language to describe a profound desire for an end to struggle, finding a fragile hope in a shared moment of stillness against an overwhelming, uncaring universe. The final lines, "None to watch us, none to warn / But the blind eternal night," leave the listener with a potent sense of quietude tinged with a melancholic acceptance of solitude ineffable solitude.