At the edge of the sea, a small group calls out to the moon as night begins. They ask whether it will glimmer on the water and fling its light like a spear onto the shore. There is a sense of ritual and anticipation: they carry arrows, share a song, and listen for the note a loosed bowstring makes. The speaker’s voice is not separate from the group; they speak as “we,” longing for the moon to arrive quickly and join their song. The moon is treated as a powerful, almost divine presence—great enough to be measured against pine trees. The mood is hushed, expectant, and slightly mythic. Rather than describing a landscape in detail, H.D. gives only brief, sharp images, which makes the waiting feel immediate and charged.
Moonrise — Summary
Will you glimmer on the sea? will you fling your spear-head on the shore? what note shall we pitch? we have a song, on the bank we share our arrows; the loosed string tells our note: O flight, bring her swiftly to our song. she is great, we measure her by the pine trees.