Night Sweat, Robert Lowell: Summary, Analysis & Themes

Night Sweat by Robert Lowell, first published in his 1964 collection For the Union Dead, is an autobiographical reflection on the poet's struggle to express his thoughts in verse. The metaphors in the poem's opening illustrate how the sweat-drenched poet finds it challenging to write. In the next section, the presence of his beloved wife brings light to his surroundings, lifting his spirits and giving him the energy he so deeply craves. Ultimately, the poem concludes with a plea for his wife to help him escape from his stagnant, lifeless thoughts. Night Sweat by Robert Lowell Work-table, litter, books and standing lamp, plain things, my stalled equipment, the old broom--- but I am living in a tidied room, for ten nights now I've felt the creeping damp float over my pajamas' wilted white . . . Sweet salt embalms me and my head is wet, everything streams and tells me this is right; my life's fever is soaking in night sweat--- one life, one writing! But the downward gl…