Symbol Analysis
The moon is no stranger to poetry. It shows up in all sorts of ways, in all sorts of poems. In this instance, the moon seems to be setting. Its downward motion offers a contrast to the speaker on his horse. The higher they climb up the hill toward Lucy's cottage, the lower the moon gets in the sky. Eventually, it drops completely out of sight. This disappearing act seems to have a profound impact on the speaker. He goes from thoughts of love to fears of death (how's that for a 180?) and it seems like that darn moon is to blame.
- Lines 8-9: The speaker lets us know that it's nighttime, and the moon is the focus of his attention as he makes his way on horseback to Lucy's cottage.
- Lines 15-16: It must be late, because the moon is sinking lower and lower in the sky. It seems like it's getting ready to crash into Lucy's roof.
- Lines 19-20: Once again, the speaker is fixated on the moon. Is it a symbol of his love for Lucy? That's a possibility. That the moon is dropping in the sky, rather than rising, seems to indicate that something is off, though.
- Lines 24-25: The moon is suddenly gone. At least, it's disappeared from the speaker's view and dropped behind Lucy's house—bummer. What's worse, the following lines confirm that this disappearance has a negative effect on the speaker. Where once he was happily on his way to Lucy's cottage, suddenly he's fearing for her death.