Hello
everyone –
As
we conclude our series commemorating the 50th anniversary of the
first lunar landing, longtime listmembers may recall that I’ve been fascinated
by the Moon ever since I can remember. My grandmother used to sing a song to me
called “I See the Moon,” which has this chorus:
“I
see the Moon, and the Moon sees me.
God
bless the Moon, and God bless me.”
The
Moon also appears in this nonsensical nursery rhyme:
“Hey
diddle diddle,
The
cat and the fiddle,
The
cow jumped over the Moon.
The
little dog laughed
To
see such fun,
And
the dish ran away with the spoon.”
Here
are some poems about the Moon to conclude Quotemail’s celebration of the Apollo
11 Golden Jubilee!
“The
Man In The Moon Came Down Too Soon” (1954)
By
J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973)
There
is an inn, a merry old inn
beneath an old grey hill,
And
there they brew a beer so brown
That
the Man in the Moon himself came down
one night to drink his fill.
The
ostler has a tipsy cat
that plays a five-stringed fiddle;
And
up and down he saws his bow
Now
squeaking high, now purring low,
now sawing in the middle.
The
landlord keeps a little dog
that is mighty fond of jokes;
When
there's good cheer among the guests,
He
cocks an ear at all the jests
and laughs until he chokes.
They
also keep a hornéd cow
as proud as any queen;
But
music turns her head like ale,
And
makes her wave her tufted tail
and dance upon the green.
And
O! the rows of silver dishes
and the store of silver spoons!
For
Sunday there's a special pair,
And
these they polish up with care
on Saturday afternoons.
The
Man in the Moon was drinking deep,
and the cat began to wail;
A
dish and a spoon on the table danced,
The
cow in the garden madly pranced
and the little dog chased his tail.
The
Man in the Moon took another mug,
and then rolled beneath his chair;
And
there he dozed and dreamed of ale,
Till
in the sky the stars were pale,
and dawn was in the air.
Then
the ostler said to his tipsy cat:
'The white horses of the Moon,
They
neigh and champ their silver bits;
But
their master's been and drowned his wits,
and the Sun'll be rising soon!'
So
the cat on the fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,
a jig that would wake the dead:
He
squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,
While
the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:
'It's after three!' he said.
They
rolled the Man slowly up the hill
and bundled him into the Moon,
While
his horses galloped up in rear,
And
the cow came capering like a deer,
and a dish ran up with the spoon.
Now
quicker the fiddle went deedle-dum-diddle;
the dog began to roar,
The
cow and the horses stood on their heads;
The
guests all bounded from their beds
and danced upon the floor.
With
a ping and a pang the fiddle-strings broke!
the cow jumped over the Moon,
And
the little dog laughed to see such fun,
And
the Saturday dish went off at a run
with the silver Sunday spoon.
The
round Moon rolled behind the hill,
as
the Sun raised up her head.
She*
hardly believed her fiery eyes;
For
though it was day, to her surprise
they all went back to bed!
“The
Moon Blessing”
Collected
by Alexander Carmichael in Carmina Gadelica (1900)
May
thy light be fair to me!
May
thy course be smooth to me!
If
good to me is thy beginning,
Seven
times better be thine end,
Thou
fair Moon of the seasons,
Thou
great lamp of grace!
The
One who created thee
Created
me likewise;
The
One who gave thee weight and light
Gave
to me life and death,
And
the joy of the seven satisfactions,
Thou
great lamp of grace,
Thou
fair Moon of the seasons.
“Wynken,
Blynken, and Nod”
By
Eugene Field (1889)
Wynken,
Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed
off in a wooden shoe —
Sailed
on a river of crystal light,
Into
a sea of dew.
"Where
are you going, and what do you wish?"
The
old Moon asked the three.
"We
have come to fish for the herring fish
That
live in this beautiful sea;
Nets
of silver and gold have we!"
Said
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.
The
old Moon laughed and sang a song,
As
they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And
the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled
the waves of dew.
The
little stars were the herring fish
That
lived in that beautiful sea —
"Now
cast your nets wherever you wish —
Never
afraid are we";
So
cried the stars to the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken, and Nod.
All
night long their nets they threw
To
the stars in the twinkling foam —
Then
down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing
the fishermen home;
'Twas
all so pretty a sail it seemed
As
if it could not be,
And
some folks thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed
Of
sailing that beautiful sea —
But
I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken, and Nod.
Wynken
and Blynken are two little eyes,
And
Nod is a little head,
And
the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is
a wee one's trundle-bed.
So
shut your eyes while Mother sings
Of
wonderful sights that be,
And
you shall see the beautiful things
As
you rock in the misty sea,
Where
the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken, and Nod.
Until
next time – keep looking up!
Rob
