The debate of the poets of Night and Day

A poetic debate that Peter Turrentine and I had a while back, posted for your reading enjoyment.

Day:
Let us write
The music of the sun
And in light and warmth
Go to sleep when darkness comes

This fascination with the night
And with the moon's palely glowing light
Is the lesser one--
The moon is but a reflection of the sun

As reflection, it shines admidst the night
But it is from the sun
That is derived all light

I adjure ye, now
To praise the noon
No shadows now, all's painted
In shades of shadeless white

For in the light no darkness hides
And amongst the stars no evil bides
In the light of the day
No demon spreads its web of lies
As long as your eyes are opened
And you behold the light of day

Do you wonder
That children are scared of the dark?
No illusions in the noontime sky
No dark of hate, nor cloud of lie
And God, if only we could open our eyes

Night:
I hear them singing of the sun, and praising her warm rays
They call to us to join them, turn away from darker ways
But how can they see what we see, so blinded by the light
They see the glory of the sun, but not that of the night.

The sun is glorious, its true, her light is pure and true
And all the sad depressing shadows she in time burns through
Yet night is not all darkness, and the night holds more then sleep
For beauty wakes about you as you lie in slumber deep

A candle in the daytime is by Sol put all to shame
But in the night what beauty moves within its fickle flame
So weak and frail yet so bright, it gives its warmth to all
Though that same warmth and light will cause its life to drip and fall.

Or what good is a firefly while still the sun shines bright
Yet when she sets these little creatures give life to the night.
And though the moon may just reflect the glory of the sun
She makes the land look softer then the sun has ever done

So while I too enjoy the day, and bask in Sols warm beams
Leave me to my dark lady night, who is not what she seems
No dark depression lives in her, for while each day must die
The night ends only when the dawn burns on the eastern sky

Day:
Ah, but it is the light
which reveals everything to our eyes--
you say the night is beautiful, and indeed it is
but only in virtue of the light it has

I'll grant you the qualities of this light
make beautiful the dark and glorify the night
but in the noon there's infinitely more

It is only in weakness of our eyes
that all the beauty hides
In the night there's less beauty to distract us
and so we say we see more

ah, but for the light undying
that shines on the shores of Valinor!
But I only praise the day
in virtue of her light
and only in that way
do I deem lesser the night

Night

So we agree to disagree between the night and day
And though I'll counter anytime what gainst her you did say
I will agree that beaty lies in both the day and night
In that they both share in the wonderment of light

....

The light indeed is where the beauty lies in night and day
But how can only light be good, as you do seem to stay?
For God made both the night and day, both small and greater light
And though there is less brightness there is far more in the night

For without contrast light grows pale, and the world grows dread
And so the darkness of the night to my heart I hold dear
You say theres more in one bright noon then any starlit night
But think on whence this noon did come, and what does give it light

For in the day one star we see, though very close to hand
But nighttime skies are full of stars as beaches are of sand
Its in the night our eyes betray us with their frailty
And if they didn't beauty endless in the night you'd see

So do not spurn my lady night, give honor where its due
For though the day is beautiful, and her light pure and true
The night is just as lovely and beneath her starry skies
The Son of God set Adam free, and from the tomb did rise.

Day:
Yet I cannot hold that the night makes my darkness bright
Nor that anything but the sun is the source of all light
So 'gainst thy eloquence heliocentric I'll remain
And watch for rainbows 'midst the rain

Night:
Though I with my dark lady stay
No matter what you do or say
On this thing I agree with you
That in all beauty light shines through

So you for watch for your rainbows bright
And I'll watch fires in the night
For night and day have beauty both
And to miss either I am loath

Day:
And in the sunset and with the dawn
Perhaps we twain can meet
And then always ramble on
And remember each other in the mist

Night:
Or when the day draws to a close
As sun does set and full moon glows
With your love you can watch the sky
As shooting stars go flying by