"When I have last looked on
The round green eyes and the long wavering bodies
Of the dark leopards of the moon?
All of the wild witches, those most noble ladies,
For all their broom-sticks and their tears,
Their angry tears are gone.
The holy centaurs of the hills are vanished;
I have nothing left but the embittered sun;
Banished heroic mother moon and vanished.
And now that I have come to my fifty years
I must endure the timid sun."



---I do not understand how "the moon" plays a part in this poem. (Line 3 and 9) What is it's purpose and what does it really mean?

Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/2006 08:12AM by jas_mel.

It is an opposite of the sun in this poem. The sun = daylight, reality, boring daily life. The moon = night, fantasy, romance, nightlife. He seems to be pouting about getting old and not being able to stay awake after sunset where all the action happens ;-)

Desi has said it very well.

Is 'withes' correct, or have you mistyped 'witches'? Withe has various meanings, of which the closest to fitting the poem would be a willow twig, or some other tough flexible twig suitable for binding things together; but that doesn't seem right for the context.

Opps! Yes, it is "witches".