Quatrains 8
As from the rising moon a single beam Of trembling silver sinks through moving walls Of dim green water, so the immortal dream Of Love Eternal on the spirit falls.
Thomas S. Jones Jr.
SourceLicence:Public domain (US, unrenewed)
As from the rising moon a single beam Of trembling silver sinks through moving walls Of dim green water, so the immortal dream Of Love Eternal on the spirit falls.
Four lines, one comparison. The first half builds a picture: the moon rises, and a single beam of silver light pushes down into the sea, passing through "moving walls / Of dim green water." The second half tells us what the picture is for. In the same way, the speaker says, the "immortal dream / Of Love Eternal" comes down upon the spirit.
The comparison suggests that love of this kind arrives gently and from above, not through effort. The light is "trembling," so it feels delicate, almost uncertain, yet it still reaches into the depths. The spirit seems to be the dim water, dark and shifting, and the dream of eternal love is the one clear thread of brightness reaching it.
The mood is hushed and reverent. Everything moves slowly, and nothing is forced. The speaker doesn't argue for love's permanence so much as watch it appear, with quiet awe, like moonlight on the sea.