A June Night Poem by Emma Lazarus

A June Night

Rating: 3.1


Ten o'clock: the broken moon
Hangs not yet a half hour high,
Yellow as a shield of brass,
In the dewy air of June,
Poised between the vaulted sky
And the ocean's liquid glass.

Earth lies in the shadow still;
Low black bushes, trees, and lawn
Night's ambrosial dews absorb;
Through the foliage creeps a thrill,
Whispering of yon spectral dawn
And the hidden climbing orb.

Higher, higher, gathering light,
Veiling with a golden gauze
All the trembling atmosphere,
See, the rayless disk grows white!
Hark, the glittering billows pause!

Faint, far sounds possess the ear.
Elves on such a night as this
Spin their rings upon the grass;
On the beach the water-fay
Greets her lover with a kiss;
Through the air swift spirits pass,
Laugh, caress, and float away.

Shut thy lids and thou shalt see
Angel faces wreathed with light,
Mystic forms long vanished hence.
Ah, too fine, too rare, they be
For the grosser mortal sight,
And they foil our waking sense.

Yet we feel them floating near,
Know that we are not alone,
Though our open eyes behold
Nothing save the moon's bright sphere,
In the vacant heavens shown,
And the ocean's path of gold.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Bernard F. Asuncion 24 June 2017

Ocean's path of gold..... Thanks for posting🤓

1 0 Reply
Pranab K Chakraborty 24 June 2017

Know that we are not alone, Though our open eyes behold Nothing save the moon's bright sphere, ............................................ absolutely except the trance of getting again!

1 0 Reply
Edward Kofi Louis 24 June 2017

Spectral dawn! ! Thanks for sharing this poem with us.

1 0 Reply
Anil Kumar Panda 24 June 2017

Beautiful poetry. Each stanza is a gem. Thanks for sharing.

1 0 Reply
Kumarmani Mahakul 24 June 2017

Beautiful poem on summer night. Thrilling expression like... Earth lies in the shadow still; Low black bushes, trees, and lawn Night's ambrosial dews absorb; Through the foliage creeps a thrill, Whispering of yon spectral dawn And the hidden climbing orb. Higher, higher, gathering light, Veiling with a golden gauze All the trembling atmosphere, See, the rayless disk grows white! Hark, the glittering billows pause! Thanks for sharing.

1 0 Reply
Francie Lynch 24 June 2017

Good poem, but I think Wordsworth's The World Is Too Much With Us is a superior poem on a similar theme. Cheers.

1 0 Reply
Subhas Chandra Chakra 24 June 2017

A lovely night poem. Thanks for sharing.

1 0 Reply
John Richard Anderson 24 June 2017

Very nice imagery and expression. I enjoyed this poem. Cheers!

2 0 Reply
Nathan Coppedge 24 June 2017

I would at this to a list of intuitive poems if I could.

1 0 Reply
Mario Vitale 24 June 2017

great writing with exquisite taste

1 0 Reply
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Emma Lazarus

Emma Lazarus

New York City / United States
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