Sonnet for the January New Moon

Tomorrow, if it’s clear, you should be able to see the thin crescent of the moon, slender and barely open.

O holy crescent, welcome to the sky:
thy virgin slenderness is our delight,
in winter darkness a comforting light.
Come out, sweet maid, and do not be so shy —
the minutes to thy setting swiftly fly,
and in the East the early stars shine bright
on the leaf-bare maple, and winter white
that covers the ground and makes the land die.
Yet in this chill dusk, speak to us of spring,
of the rising sap and the turning stars,
of new-born foxes dreaming in their dens.
Speak in whispers of robins on the wing,
of the arborist sharpening his shears,
of hares in warrens, and new-nesting wrens.

Liked it? Take a second to support Andrew on Patreon!
Become a patron at Patreon!

8 comments

  1. Yes…

    but be conscious that this is the January New Moon Sonnet. I’m planning on working up a set of sonnets for New and Full Moons this year, to combine with the Hymns for the Eight Great Nights that I’ve mostly finished in the last few years. I’ll be posting these as the year comes around, and trying to post them a few days prior to the appearance of the actual day or night.

    Although… I see that in January, it may be that the moon appears principally in the morning, around 6-7am, so I may have to revise this a little.

    Um…

    Perhaps this is a personal question, but you’re one of few I know who keeps a Book of Shadows and actually mentions it. Is it out of line to ask …

    1) What you use it for?
    2) How you use it?
    3) How you distinguish it from an ordinary journal?

    • Yes…

      but be conscious that this is the January New Moon Sonnet. I’m planning on working up a set of sonnets for New and Full Moons this year, to combine with the Hymns for the Eight Great Nights that I’ve mostly finished in the last few years. I’ll be posting these as the year comes around, and trying to post them a few days prior to the appearance of the actual day or night.

      Although… I see that in January, it may be that the moon appears principally in the morning, around 6-7am, so I may have to revise this a little.

      Um…

      Perhaps this is a personal question, but you’re one of few I know who keeps a Book of Shadows and actually mentions it. Is it out of line to ask …

      1) What you use it for?
      2) How you use it?
      3) How you distinguish it from an ordinary journal?

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.