A moon maiden—or the moon itself—sings this hushed lullaby to a sleeping lover. She coaxes him deeper into sleep, where memory softens and past pain blurs. The refrain says it plainly: love is as brief as a summer night; it lingers only until morning, then takes wing for its far-off, starry home. There’s no anger in that knowledge, just a wistful acceptance. The speaker still claims a tender hold over the sleeper’s days, a seal upon him, even though their roads have parted and his recollection will dim. Her tone feels protective, almost maternal, wanting to shelter him from the ache of love’s passing. The entire poem floats in a dreamy, half-lit space between night and waking—a place where feeling clings on, even as memory slips quietly away.
The Moon Maiden's Song — Summary
Sleep! Cast thy canopy Over this sleeper's brain, Dim grow his memory, When he wake again.
Love stays a summer night, Till lights of morning come; Then takes her winged flight Back to her starry home.
Sleep! Yet thy days are mine; Love's seal is over thee: Far though my ways from thine, Dim though thy memory.
Love stays a summer night, Till lights of morning come; Then takes her winged flight Back to her starry home.