Dark night of the soul spanish la noche oscura del alma is a poem written by the 16th century spanish mystic and poet st john of the crossthe author himself did not give any title to his poem on which he wrote two book length commentaries ascent of mount carmel subida del monte carmelo and the dark night noche oscura. The dark night of the soul is a stage in personal development when a person undergoes a difficult and significant transition to a deeper perception of life and their place in it this enhanced . The dark night of the soul this phenomenon describes a malady that the greatest of christians have suffered from time to time it was the malady that provoked david to soak his pillow with tears. Dark night of the soul is an old concept early in the 16th century the spanish mystic and poet st john of the cross thought deeply on this subject he had wonderfully expressed his views on this matter in his poem named dark night of the soul the poem narrates the purpose of the soul