WINTER EVENING

The winter Evening settles down

With smell of steaks in passageways.

Six o'clock.

The burnt-out ends of smoky days.

And now a gusty shower wraps

The grimy scraps

Of withered leaves about your feet

And newspapers from vacant lots;

The showers beat

On broken blinds and chimney-pots,

And at the corner of the street

A lonely cab-horse steams and stamps.

And then the lighting of the lamps.

T. S. ELIOT

Summary: In 'Winter Evening' by T. S. Eliot, the poem captures the atmosphere and mood of a winter evening. It begins with the settling down of winter, and the air is filled with the aroma of cooking steaks coming from the passageways. The time is six o'clock, marking the end of a long day. The reference to 'the burnt-out ends of smoking days' suggests a sense o weariness and fatigue.

As the evening progresses, a gusty shower sweeps in, scattering the grimy scraps of withered leaves and newspapers around. The showers continue to beat on broken blinds and chimney pots. The scene is desolate, with a lonely cab-horse seen at the corner of the street, releasing steam and stamping its hooves.

Finally, the poem concludes with the lighting of the lamps, which symbolizes the transition from day to night and the comforting illumination that offers solace in the midst of a cold, wet, and dreary winter evening. Eliot's poem captures the melancholy and vivid imagery of this specific moment in time.