Help on interpreting Helen Marie Williams Sonnet to the Moon?

Question

The glitt'ring colours of the day are fled;
Come, melancholy orb! that dwell'st with night,
Come! and o'er earth thy wand'ring lustre shed,
Thy deepest shadow, and thy softest light;
To me congenial is the gloomy grove,
When with faint light the sloping uplands shine;
That gloom, those pensive rays alike I love,
Whose sadness seems in sympathy with mine!
But most for this, pale orb! thy beams are dear,
For this, benignant orb! I hail thee most:
That while I pour the unavailing tear,
And mourn that hope to me in youth is lost,
Thy light can visionary thoughts impart,
And lead the Muse to soothe a suff'ring heart. 

I need some help on interpreting this sonnet and why it is important. Also, how the author gets the central idea across and the techniques she uses. It seems as if the moon has a beneficial effect on her, as if it is a counselor to her problems yet the moon can not communicate with her. It has a faint light mentioned a few times but I am not sure what that symbolizes, if anything. Also, the moon seems to turn from melancholy to benignant at the end, is she using the moon/night/darkness as an outlet for her thoughts and stress and it makes her feel better? Just trying to expand on my ideas and see if others see that. I am not very good at finding the meaning of poems and the assignment I currently have is challenging to me.

5 ft 7 Texas Heaven · Accepted Answer

This is totally a praise and tribute poem directed at the moon by a woman, even in her sadness over a loss not strictly mentioned,,, other than "it" / "hope" was once held in youth.

Just my take on it. She dwells on the various stages and phases of the moons light and its affect on her.

ferrisulf · Answer

You have no idea how pleased I was to see someone asking for help on their homework but actually meaning it instead of the usual "please do it all for me". You put in the effort, wrote your own opinions and interpretations. Good for you. :) 

It is definitely has a beneficial effect on her, as you said. She is praising the moon, talking about how she will cry before it, but its light inspires and soothes her: "They light can visionary thoughts impart/And lead the Muse to soothe a suff'ring heart." 

Take note of the clever way she uses rather contradictory descriptions of the moon: "That GLOOM, those PENSIVE rays alike I love" She goes back and forth between gloomy, depressing images and those of great beauty and tenderness. She is showing how something that could be so depressing and such on one hand could also be such a beautiful, calming thing. From one line she calls it "melancholy" and in the next she uses the word "wand'ring luster". Such conflicting yet awesome images that brings. Take the idea of something so alone and depressing versus something beautiful and inspirational, something that fills one with awe. :)

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Help on interpreting Helen Marie Williams Sonnet to the Moon?

2 Answers