Day, like a weary pilgrim, had reached the western gate of heaven, and Evening stooped down to unloose the latchets of his sandal shoon. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Hyperion

How long the night seems to one kept awake by pain. – Bernard-Joseph Saurin, Blanche et Guiscard, translated from French

The night was clear and frosty, all ebony of shadow and silver of snowy slope; big stars were shining over the silent fields; here and there the dark pointed firs stood up with snow powdering their branches and the wind whistling through them. – L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Metaphor for the night sky: A trillion asterisks and no explanations. – Robert Brault, rbrault.blogspot.com