Home › Glossary › Letter N

night lyric

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A lyric poem set at night or evoking nocturnal moods and imagery

Detailed Definition
A night lyric explores the psychological and symbolic dimensions of nighttime—solitude, mystery, dreams, or fear—through evocative imagery and hushed rhythms; it often uses stars, shadows, or silence as metaphors for introspection, the unconscious, or existential vulnerability, creating a contemplative, intimate atmosphere.
Example
Example in poetry:
John Keats’s “Ode to a Nightingale” unfolds as a night lyric, blending darkness, song, and introspection; Wallace Stevens’s “The Idea of Order at Key West” begins at dusk and meditates under night’s influence; Sylvia Plath’s “Edge” presents a chilling night lyric: “The woman is perfected”; Li Bai’s classical Chinese poem “Quiet Night Thoughts” (“Before my bed, the moonlight glows”) is a foundational night lyric.
Additional Notes
Night lyric uses darkness, stars, or nocturnal stillness to explore introspection, mystery, or fear; common in Romantic and confessional poetry; pair with sensory details (moonlight, silence) to avoid vagueness.
Also Known As
Nocturne midnight lyric lunar verse dark meditation Night poem night song
Skip to main content