Â鶹Éç

As the sun goes down everyday, occasionally resulting in spectacular sunsets, the event can affect people in different ways. A good red sunset (especially over the sea) can provoke great joy, but the fading light can also encourage melancholia. It is no wonder that, throughout history, people have used images of sunset and the dying light to reflect on ageing and mortality.

John McCarthy explores some of the ways in which images of fading light have been used to describe our place in the world.

He considers different approaches to ageing - with music including Dylan and Debussy, and poetry from the likes of Thomas Hardy, Tennyson and Shakespeare.

A Whistledown production for Â鶹Éç Radio 4.