A Close Reading of "By Night when Others Soundly Slept"

1
By night when others soundly slept
And hath at once both ease and Rest,

My waking eyes were open kept
And so to lie I found it best.

In the first section of this poem, Bradstreet describes a night where she cannot sleep – “my waking eyes were open kept”. In this section, the last word of every other line rhymes, which creates a good rhythm for the reader. In the second line, Bradstreet says others have “both ease and rest”. Here she not only is speaking of others sleeping—“rest” but also “ease”, which can make the reader assume she is not at ease because she is also not at rest. This creates some tension for the next section, and makes the tone of this section seem nervous or anxious.  In the final line, she says “And so to lie I found it best”. Here, there can be two meanings behind “lie”. She could mean that because she cannot sleep, she will just lie down or she could mean an untruthful “lie”, possibly as in she will lie about sleeping and instead wake up and do some type of action. Both the second and fourth lines of the poem create a feeling of anxiousness, unrest, and tension. The reader is left wondering what she will do to solve her inability to rest or be put at ease.

2
I sought him whom my Soul did Love,
With tears I sought him earnestly.
He bow’d his ear down from Above.

In vain I did not seek or cry.

In the first line, “I sought him who my Soul did Love,” the question of the definition of “lie” seems to be answered. In the first section, Bradstreet created a picture of a woman unable to sleep in bed and she opens the second section saying she “sought him”, which breaks the tension and creates excitement. In the second line of the poem—“With tears I sought him earnestly”, Bradstreet is reaching out to her “Love” for help with a sadness, as she is in tears.  The subject of the poem is in distress and is seeking guidance. The third line references Heaven as it says, “bow’d his ear down from Above”. The capitalization on above leads the reader to believe Bradstreet could be speaking about God or a religious figure. This section also has a different rhythm than the first. The rhythm seems more serious because the periods in the second, third, and fourth lines create pauses and slow the poem down. Also, this section only has a rhyme between the first and third lines. This makes this section more serious or sad as well.

3
My hungry soul he fill’d with Good;
He in his Bottle put my tears,
My smarting wounds washt in his blood,
And banish thence my Doubts and fears.

To start the third section, Bradstreet uses figurative language and describes her soul as “hungry”. The subject of the poem seems to be missing something or yearning for something. The subject is also hurt, as Bradstreet describes her “smarting wounds”, which means they are stinging and in pain. This section is more hopeful and promising than the last because the “he” she is seeking is able to cure her wounds, doubts and fears. When Bradstreet says he washes her wounds in his blood, it could be a biblical reference, which also leads the reader to believe she is speaking about a religious figure. The rhythm in his section closely matches the rhythm from the first section because the first and third lines rhyme and the second and fourth lines rhyme.

4

What to my Saviour shall I give

Who freely hath done this for me?
I’ll serve him here whilst I shall live
and Loue him to Eternity.

This section of the poem is the final section and has a tone of celebration and relief, along with dedication. Bradstreet has had her fears and doubts banished by what she calls in the first line, her “savior”. The rhyming of this section is identical to the first section and the rhythm sounds the same. In the last line, Bradstreet uses the word “loue”. The word loue is likely a French word that means “praise, commend”, meaning the subject of the poem is going to praise her Savior for the rest of time. This poem overall is about Bradstreet’s faith and how it is has helped her in times of pain. The name of the poem and the opening section suggest that Bradstreet feels other people are not experiencing this pain, and that she is alone because she goes to her faith at night, while others sleep. Night also signifies darkness, and the subject of the poem seems to be in darkness until her faith helps her heal.