Exploring Gerard Manley Hopkins’s “Moonrise”
“Moonrise,” subtitled “June 19, 1876,” is not among the most celebrated works of Gerard Manley Hopkins. It appears to be left in a fragmentary state, though it can also be interpreted as a complete poem in its brief form. The intentions of Hopkins regarding this piece remain somewhat elusive, given that during his lifetime, he published only a few of his poems. Below is “Moonrise June 19, 1876,” alongside some reflective notes that may serve as an analysis of this intriguing poem.
Summary
The poem opens with the speaker’s awakening during Midsummer, a period that straddles night and early morning:
“I awoke in the Midsummer not to call night, in the white and the walk of the morning:”
The speaker describes his experience of waking in late June, capturing the fleeting moment between night and the dawn. He observes the moon above, depicted as a delicate crescent, “dwindled and thinned to the fringe of a finger-nail held to the candle.” This vivid imagery evokes the visual resemblance between the moon and the white crescent shape of a fingernail, aptly referred to as “lunulae,” meaning “little moons,” due to their crescent form.
“Or paring of paradisaical fruit, lovely in waning but lustreless,”
The speaker draws another comparison, likening the moon to a piece of fruit, possibly a banana, due to its curved shape. Although the moon appears beautiful in its waning phase, it lacks brilliance or shine.
“Stepped from the stool, drew back from the barrow, of dark Maenefa the mountain;”
Here, the moon is likened to a figure rising from a stool and stepping back from the “barrow” of Maenefa, a mountain in Wales, where the poet observes this scene. The moon still seems partially tethered to the land, suggesting a connection that is not entirely severed.
“A cusp still clasped him, a fluke yet fanged him, entangled him, not quit utterly.”
This imagery illustrates the moon being ensnared, as if it were not fully free from the grasp of the mountain, emphasizing the intimate relationship between celestial and terrestrial realms.
This was the prized, the desirable sight, unsought, presented so easily,
“Parted me leaf and leaf, divided me, eyelid and eyelid of slumber.”
Finally, the poet reflects on how this unexpected sight of the moon was a precious one, manifesting before him as he gently opened his eyes, transitioning from the realm of dreams.
Analysis
“Moonrise” is crafted in Hopkins’s distinctive sprung rhythm, a poetic form he developed to revive the traditions of older English verse, reminiscent of Anglo-Saxon and Middle English poetry. The long lines do not adhere to a rhyme scheme, yet each line concludes with an unstressed or weakly stressed syllable, creating what is known as a “feminine” line ending.
While the poem does not rhyme, it employs assonance effectively, particularly evident in the line: “dwindled and thinned to the fringe of a finger-nail.” The short “i” sounds are thin and clipped, aptly reflecting the narrow shape of the crescent moon in the dim morning sky.
The poem is rich with Christian symbolism, a hallmark of Hopkins’s work as a Jesuit. The comparison of the crescent moon to a “fringe of a finger-nail” feels remarkably modern, prefiguring the surprising similes found in T. E. Hulme’s and T. S. Eliot’s modernist poetry. The notion of the moon being somehow anchored to the landscape resonates with similar imagery in the proto-imagist lyrics of Hulme, who depicted the moon as being “tangled” in the tall masts of trees.
The phrase “paring of paradisaical fruit” is loaded with ambiguity: does “paradise” connote exotic lands or evoke the biblical Garden of Eden? While the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge is traditionally interpreted as an apple, some interpretations suggest it could be a banana, with the pun on “pear” in “paring” supporting this notion. This invites contemplation of the broader implications of paradise.
Moreover, there’s an interesting contrast with Shakespeare’s idyllic vision in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The opening line, “I awoke in the Midsummer not to call night,” suggests a departure from dreamy fantasy. Shakespeare’s title refers to the peculiar and vivid dreams people were believed to experience during this time, yet in Hopkins’s poem, there is no space for dreaming, emphasizing a more grounded reality.
Maenefa, the mountain mentioned, is a geographical reference that anchors the poem in the poet’s own experience in Wales.
Overall, “Moonrise” stands out as a remarkable piece, and we include it in our selection of the finest short Victorian poems. If you found “Moonrise” captivating, we encourage you to explore that collection for more poetic treasures from the Victorian era. Additionally, for further insights into Hopkins’s work, consider our analysis of his celebrated poem “The Starlight Night.”