
By James Thomson
PROEM
A lone voice drifts through a city that has never known sunrise, its streets lit only by perpetual lamps that cast thin, cold light on silent, stone‑like facades. The narrator’s prose is a meditation on loss, doubt, and the weight of memory, echoing the lament of poets long dead. Around a sluggish river and across marshes, ruins of forgotten ages loom, their shadows stretching like the night itself. The atmosphere is thick with melancholy, inviting listeners to feel the hush of a place where hope seems a distant echo.
Within this bleak landscape, weary wanderers move like ghosts, each carrying their own private sorrows. The narrator seeks a kindred spirit among the sleepless inhabitants—men, a rare woman, even an occasional child—who share the same disquieted yearning. As the story unfolds, the city’s strange geography—its black ravines, towering mountains, and restless sea—becomes a backdrop for a deeper exploration of what it means to endure endless darkness. The opening promises a contemplative journey through a world where night and memory intertwine, offering a haunting, introspective listening experience.
Language
en
Duration
~59 minutes (57K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Michael C. Browning, and David Widger
Release date
Mar 1, 1998
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1834–1882
Best remembered for the haunting poem The City of Dreadful Night, this Scottish Victorian writer brought unusual intensity to poetry, journalism, and translation. Writing under the name Bysshe Vanolis, he became known for work that is dark, thoughtful, and emotionally searching.
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