Time wears her not; she doth his chariot guide;
Mortality below her orb is placed.

–Raleigh

The full-orbed moon with unchanged ray
Mounts up the eastern sky,
Not doomed to these short nights for aye,
But shining steadily.

She does not wane, but my fortune,
Which her rays do not bless,
My wayward path declineth soon,
But she shines not the less.

And if she faintly glimmers here,
And paled is her light,
Yet alway in her proper sphere
She’s mistress of the night.

Analysis, meaning and summary of Henry David Thoreau's poem The Moon

7 Comments

  1. Kerrington says:

    in this poem Thoreau describes the moon as a beacon that God has placed for him to see where the path of life is leading him. He conveys that even if he travels down the wrong path the moon is still there to lead him back.

  2. ginesela says:

    this poem is so hot! it’s steamy!

  3. Chase says:

    This poem is awsome

  4. jen says:

    well..this poem reminds me of an emperial court.. as the moon as queen ..and all the other planets as subjects in her court..how she shines on her throne

  5. nicole says:

    I think people need to explain what this poem really means!!!

  6. david sack says:

    this peom was beutiful and flowed like a hand through water

  7. LaLa says:

    Its a great poem thoreau is romantic and loves nature. This is not a poem where you have to decipher what it is about. It is about how he appreciates the moon and loves everything in nature.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Do you have any comments, criticism, paraphrasis or analysis of this poem that you feel would assist other visitors in understanding the meaning or the theme of this poem by Henry David Thoreau better? If accepted, your analysis will be added to this page of American Poems. Together we can build a wealth of information, but it will take some discipline and determination.