Chapter 12 "Evening Song" Summary

"Evening Song" describes a woman named Cloine in terms of water and moonlight. In the first stanza, her effect on the narrator is compared to a series of natural elements: water, fire and the moon. In the second and third stanzas, the narrator is sleepily watching Cloine, who has already fallen into a slumber.

Chapter 12 "Evening Song" Analysis

Cloine's beauty and allure prompt the narrator to experiment with metaphors of nature to express the effect she has on him. The narrator's repeated use of water and light imagery shows how all-encompassing Cloine's presence is to him. Both water and light have the ability to surround something, either suffocating it or protecting it. While Cloine is still awake, the reference to fire indicates that her power over the narrator is extreme, possibly destructive. As they fall asleep, the...