Moonlight

There is a fact of beauty so profound That in the hush of evening’s breath it looms, Enfolding earth within its silken folds, And bears us softly into night’s embrace. The moonlight flickers on the silent leaves, And like a gentle touch of joy exposes The fragrance of the earth’s sweet hour. Each shadow breathes with secrets known to none, While echoes retreat into the depth of sound.

Now in this silvery zone of transient hours, The heart beats softer, reading Nature’s tome— The wayward winds now cease their discord thoughts, No pulse but peace and whispers calmly murmur, For if this moonlight stirs a world within, What more, dear night, can sweetness help create?

• Thomas Wentworth Higginson