The Speaker
The poem's speaker is an unnamed person ruminating after the end of a relationship. As she wanders dark streets on a rainy autumn evening, the speaker is consumed with both metaphorical and literal darkness. She feels that she has made mistakes she cannot take back, and that her former partner has done the same. Moreover, the disappearance of light and the oncoming winter make the speaker feel that her life will only grow darker and lonelier. She is consumed with pessimism and fatalistic despair.
The "You"
Almost no information is given about the addressee, beyond the fact that they were previously in a relationship with the speaker. What is clear is that the speaker and the "you" were once in love, but have now seriously hurt one another. The speaker treats her heartbreak, not as either person's particular burden or fault, but instead as a mutual struggle. While the speaker and the "you" are separated—indeed, their separation is at the root of their sadness—they are facing the same loneliness and regret.
