The Shepherd, Looking Eastward, Softly Said
The Shepherd, Looking Eastward, Softly Said - form Summary
A Sonnet's Modest Pride
This poem is a compact sonnet that presents a brief scene: the moon reveals herself by casting off a veil, then is nearly hidden by a vast cloud but remains dignified. The sonnet’s tight form concentrates imagery and a quiet moral: modest pride and self-possession triumph without spectacle. The structure condenses action and reflection, making the moon’s calm composure the central, quietly triumphant moment.
Read Complete AnalysesThe Shepherd, looking eastward, softly said, "Bright is thy veil, O Moon, as thou art bright!" Forthwith, that little cloud, in ether spread And penetrated all with tender light, She cast away, and showed her fulgent head Uncovered; dazzling the Beholder's sight As if to vindicate her beauty's right Her beauty thoughtlessly disparaged. Meanwhile that veil, removed or thrown aside, Went floating from her, darkening as it went; And a huge mass, to bury or to hide, Approached this glory of the firmament; Who meekly yields, and is obscured--content With one calm triumph of a modest pride.
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