The Dawn Whiteness — Summary

The dawn whiteness. A bank of slate-grey cloud lying heavily over it. The moon, like a hunted thing, dropping into the cloud.

Learn Poems app

Try the Learn Poems app

Everything from the website trainer, and more: new exercises, voice recording and sharing, reminders, quick review.

At daybreak, the speaker notices a pale whiteness spreading over the sky, but a heavy bank of slate-grey cloud presses down over it. The only other presence is the moon, and it is not calm or serene; it looks like a frightened creature being chased, dropping into the cloud as if trying to hide or being swallowed. The scene is very still, yet full of tension. There is no human action here, just three elements—dawn light, cloud, and moon—arranged like a stark picture. The mood is quiet but uneasy: the morning should feel fresh, but the weight of the cloud and the word “hunted” introduce a subtle threat. The speaker seems to be watching closely, almost holding breath, aware that something beautiful is also fragile and fleeting.

Read also

More by Joseph Campbell

All poems
CheerfulJoseph Campbell

Ciaran, the Master of Horses and Lands

Ciaran, the master of horses and lands, Once had no more than the horn on his hands. But Ciaran is rich now, and Ciaran is great, And rides with the air of a squire of estate.
AnxiousJoseph Campbell

The Good People

The millway path looks like a wraith, The lock is black as ink, And silently in stream and sky The stars begin to blink.
SadJoseph Campbell

The Silence of Unlaboured Fields

The silence of unlaboured fields Lies like a judgment on the air: A human voice is never heard: The sighing grass is everywhere--