Conrad Potter Aiken

Here you will find the Poem Multitudes Turn In Darkness of poet Conrad Potter Aiken

Multitudes Turn In Darkness

The half-shut doors through which we heard that music
Are softly closed. Horns mutter down to silence,
The stars wheel out, the night grows deep.
Darkness settles upon us; a Vague refrain
Drowsily teases at the drowsy brain.
In numberless rooms we stretch ourselves and sleep.

Where have we been ? What savage chaos of music 
Whirls in our dreams? We suddenly rise in darkness, 
Open our eyes, cry out, and sleep once more. 
We dream we are numberless sea-waves, languidly foaming 
A warm white moonlit shore;

Or clouds blown windily over a sky at midnight, 
Or chords of music scattered in hurrying darkness, 
Or a singing sound of rain
We open our eyes and stare at the coiling darkness, 
And enter our dreams again.