A June Night

Emma Lazarus 1849 (New York City) – 1887 (New York City)



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.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 03, 2023

1:02 min read
108

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCABC DEFDEF GHIGH XJCKJCK LGMLGM INOINO
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,107
Words 202
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 5, 7, 6, 6

Emma Lazarus

Emma Lazarus was a poet born in New York City. more…

All Emma Lazarus poems | Emma Lazarus Books

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