The theme of night that runs throughout the poem is a symbol for loneliness and depression from something he may have done in the past or something he feels has ruined his life and left him feeling that it's meaningless. That dark mental image of night symbolizes the darkness and depression happening in his own life. He says he has, "outwalked the furthest city light," meaning that he is far beyond any hope for happiness or the belonging to a happy life. The light symbolizing all these ideas and is a huge contrast to all the darkness in the rest of the poem. The man has been wandering endlessly and feels that as he passes through these towns at night that nobody can understand what he is going through and not even the watchmen because he drops his eyes as he walks by. Maybe he feels like the people know what wrong he did or the reason behind why he is depressed and doesn't want to face them or try to explain himself. It really shows his separation from the world when he says, "when far away an interrupted cry came over houses from another street, but not to call me back or say good-by." That shows that little bit of hope that maybe someone was calling for him or caring to understand him, but then realizes they are calling for another reason; leaving him in the darkness again. People who are depressed also usually lose track of time or resent time as he talks about the "luminary clock." He feels like he's just going through the motions of life and time just keeps continuing and hanging over his head in the sky, while he's wishing it would either get better or stop.
I actually did really like the style and symbolism in this poem though. There is a steady rhythm throughout and repetition with the very first and last line which makes it seem like an endless cycle that this man is in. I loved the descriptions the author gave that created an image and connection to what was going on.
Good observations, thoughtful.
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