The night is darkening round me,
The wild winds coldly blow;
But a tyrant spell has bound me
And I cannot, cannot go. The giant trees are bending
Their bare boughs weighed with snow,
And the storm is fast descending,
And yet I cannot go. Clouds beyond clouds above me,
Wastes beyond wastes below;
But nothing drear can move me—
I will not, cannot go.

The Night is Darkening Round Me (November 1837)