The Moon by Sarah Noble Ives (1864)
Sarah Noble Ives addresses the Moon directly in two short stanzas of verse. In the first, she calls on the white Moon to swim through the dusky blue and still dark sky, noting the soft clouds that cover it, and imagines that she, Jimmy, and Alice might someday journey across the sea upon its silver wake. In the second, she asks the Moon to swing to the breeze blowing from the bright Milky Way, recalling that Alice—who knows such things—told her she might climb up some night and swing in the cradle the Moon makes for her, higher than even the highest tree.
By Sarah Noble Ives · First published 1864 · Genre: Poetry, Children's Literature, Fantasy · 129 words
First lines
Swim, white Moon, in the dusky blue, / Swim in the still dark sky. / Soft are the clouds that cover you; / And Jimmy and Alice and I / Some time, perhaps, a journey will make / Across the sea on your silver wake.
Swing, white Moon, to the breeze that blows / From the Milky Way so bright. / Alice told me (and Alice knows), / That I may climb up some night, / And swing in the cradle you make for me, / Higher than even the highest tree.
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- Fairy Bread by Robert Louis Stevenson
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- Young Night Thought by Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Story Of The Rippling Train by Mary Louisa Molesworth
- Go Little Book The Ancient Phrase by Robert Louis Stevenson
Genres
- Poetry — The work is composed in verse with a distinct rhyming scheme (blue/I/wake, blows/bright/knows/night/me/tree) and stanzaic structure characteristic of formal poetry.
- Children's Literature — The poem features child protagonists (Jimmy, Alice, and the narrator) and employs whimsical, imaginative conceits centered on childhood wonder and fantastical play.
- Fantasy — The work contains magical and impossible elements including swinging in the moon's cradle and journeying across the sea on the moon's silver wake.
- Lyric Poetry — The poem prioritizes emotional and sensory imagery over narrative progression, focusing on the speaker's imaginative perceptions and feelings about the moon.
Tags
moon · night · sky · stars · celestial · childhood · children's poetry · fantasy · imagination · wonder · whimsy · adventure
What this Textopian page supports
The Moon is listed on Textopian as a poem by Sarah Noble Ives, dated 1864 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Sarah Noble Ives
- Date: 1864 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Children's Literature, Fantasy, Lyric Poetry, Nature Poetry
- Length: 129 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
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