Luna: The Goddess Diana as the Full Moon
This month is the Hunters Moon. It always makes me think of Diana, the Roman goddess of the moon and hunt. Here she is depicted by sculptor Henry Weekes as the embodiment.
Moon Hymn
I will give you one glimpse
a glimpse of the moon's grievance
whose appearance is all pocks and points
that look like frost-glints
I will wave my hand to her
in her first quarter
when the whole world is against her
shadowy exposure of her centre
o the moon loves to wander
I will go clockwise and stare
when she is huge when she is half elsewhere
half naked, in struggle with the air
and growing rounder and rounder
a pert peering creature
I love her sidling and awkward
when she's not quite circular
o criminal and ingrown
skinned animal o moon
carrying inside yourself your own
death's head, your dark one
why do you chop yourself away
piece by piece, to that final trace
of an outline of ice
on a cupful of space?
· by Alice Oswald
I will wave my hand to her
in her first quarter
when the whole world is against her
shadowy exposure of her centre
o the moon loves to wander
I will go clockwise and stare
when she is huge when she is half elsewhere
half naked, in struggle with the air
and growing rounder and rounder
a pert peering creature
I love her sidling and awkward
when she's not quite circular
o criminal and ingrown
skinned animal o moon
carrying inside yourself your own
death's head, your dark one
why do you chop yourself away
piece by piece, to that final trace
of an outline of ice
on a cupful of space?
· by Alice Oswald
From Woods Etc. published by Faber, and included in The Forward book of poetry 2006 published by Forward
The moon is full October 9
4:55 pm.
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