Under the Harvest Moon
Under the Harvest Moon - context Summary
Published in Chicago Poems
Published in Sandburg’s 1916 collection Chicago Poems, this free‑verse lyric pairs two nocturnal scenes under seasonal moons. It presents Death and Love as intimate, almost consoling presences who visit the speaker with memory and unanswerable questions. The poem’s spare lines and plain diction fit Sandburg’s early modernist voice, blending colloquial clarity with evocative personification rather than ornate rhetoric.
Read Complete AnalysesUnder the harvest moon, When the soft silver Drips shimmering Over the garden nights, Death, the gray mocker, Comes and whispers to you As a beautiful friend Who remembers. Under the summer roses When the flagrant crimson Lurks in the dusk Of the wild red leaves, Love, with little hands, Comes and touches you With a thousand memories, And asks you Beautiful, unanswerable questions.
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