Shut Out that Moon

Thomas Hardy's Shut Out that Moon

Thomas Hardy’s Shut Out That Moon is a poignant meditation on memory, loss, and the passage of time, themes that resonate deeply within the broader context of Hardy’s oeuvre. Written in the early 20th century, the poem reflects Hardy’s characteristic pessimism and his preoccupation with the inexorable decline of joy and vitality in human life. The poem’s speaker implores an unnamed listener—and perhaps themselves—to shut out the moon and its associated memories, which evoke a past that is now irretrievably lost. Through its evocative imagery, melancholic tone, and intricate interplay of past and present, the poem captures the universal human experience of longing for what once was, while simultaneously acknowledging the pain of its irretrievability.

Historical and Biographical Context

To fully appreciate Shut Out That Moon, it is essential to situate it within Hardy’s life and the historical moment in which it was written. Hardy (1840–1928) lived through a period of profound social and technological change, including the Industrial Revolution, the decline of rural England, and the devastation of World War I. These upheavals deeply influenced his worldview, which is often characterized by a sense of disillusionment and a belief in the inevitability of suffering. Hardy’s poetry frequently grapples with the tension between the pastoral idyll of his youth and the encroaching modernity of his later years, a tension that is vividly present in Shut Out That Moon.

The poem can also be read in light of Hardy’s personal experiences, particularly his complex relationship with his first wife, Emma Gifford. Their early love, which began in the romantic landscape of Cornwall, later deteriorated into estrangement. After Emma’s death in 1912, Hardy was consumed by guilt and nostalgia, themes that permeate much of his later poetry. While Shut Out That Moon does not explicitly reference Emma, its elegiac tone and preoccupation with lost love and faded beauty suggest a deeply personal undercurrent.

Themes: Memory, Loss, and the Passage of Time

At its core, Shut Out That Moon is a poem about memory and its dual capacity to comfort and torment. The moon, a traditional symbol of constancy and cyclical renewal, becomes in Hardy’s hands a trigger for painful recollections. The speaker’s plea to “shut out that stealing moon” underscores the moon’s role as a thief of peace, a celestial body that “wears too much the guise she wore” in happier times. This personification of the moon as a deceptive figure highlights the speaker’s struggle to reconcile the past with the present. The moon’s unchanging appearance belies the profound transformations that have occurred in the speaker’s life, rendering it a cruel reminder of what has been lost.

The poem also explores the theme of time’s passage and its impact on human experience. The imagery of “years-deep dust” on abandoned lutes and names “hewn” on a white stone evokes a sense of finality and decay. These objects, once vibrant with life and meaning, now lie dormant, their significance eroded by the relentless march of time. The speaker’s insistence on staying indoors and avoiding the night sky’s celestial wonders—such as “the Lady’s Chair,” “Immense Orion’s glittering form,” and the constellations of the “Less and Greater Bear”—further emphasizes their desire to escape the painful contrast between past joy and present sorrow.

Literary Devices: Imagery, Tone, and Symbolism

Hardy’s use of imagery in Shut Out That Moon is both vivid and evocative, creating a rich tapestry of sensory details that underscore the poem’s emotional depth. The opening lines, with their imperative tone, immediately draw the reader into the speaker’s world: “Close up the casement, draw the blind, / Shut out that stealing moon.” The act of closing the window and drawing the blind becomes a metaphor for the speaker’s attempt to shield themselves from the intrusive memories that the moon evokes. This imagery of enclosure and confinement recurs throughout the poem, culminating in the final stanza’s depiction of the “common lamp-lit room,” a space that, while mundane and unremarkable, offers a refuge from the painful beauty of the natural world.

The poem’s tone is one of restrained melancholy, with the speaker’s grief expressed not through overt lamentation but through a series of quiet, almost resigned commands. This restraint amplifies the poem’s emotional impact, as the reader is left to infer the depth of the speaker’s sorrow from the spaces between the lines. The juxtaposition of past and present further heightens the poem’s poignancy, as the speaker recalls a time when “living seemed a laugh, and love / All it was said to be.” This idealized vision of the past stands in stark contrast to the present, where life’s “early bloom” has faded, leaving only the “tart fruit” of disillusionment.

Symbolism plays a crucial role in the poem, with the moon serving as the central symbol of memory and its attendant pain. The constellations mentioned in the second stanza—Orion, the Lady’s Chair, and the Greater and Lesser Bear—are also laden with symbolic significance. These celestial bodies, which have guided sailors and inspired poets for centuries, represent the timeless beauty of the natural world. Yet, for the speaker, they are no longer sources of wonder but reminders of a lost connection to the sublime. The poem’s final lines, with their emphasis on the “dingy details” of the “common lamp-lit room,” suggest a retreat into the mundane as a means of coping with the unbearable weight of memory.

Emotional Impact and Universal Resonance

One of the most striking aspects of Shut Out That Moon is its ability to evoke a profound emotional response from the reader. Hardy’s exploration of memory and loss resonates with anyone who has experienced the bittersweet ache of nostalgia. The poem captures the universal human desire to hold onto the past, even as we recognize the futility of such efforts. The speaker’s plea to “prison my eyes and thought” within the confines of the “common lamp-lit room” speaks to the ways in which we often seek to shield ourselves from the pain of remembering, even as we are drawn irresistibly to the very things that cause us sorrow.

At the same time, the poem’s emotional impact is tempered by its understated tone and precise language. Hardy’s restraint allows the reader to project their own experiences of loss and longing onto the poem, creating a deeply personal connection. This universality is one of the poem’s greatest strengths, as it transcends its specific historical and biographical context to speak to the timeless human condition.

Conclusion

Shut Out That Moon is a masterful exploration of memory, loss, and the passage of time, themes that are central to Hardy’s poetic vision. Through its evocative imagery, restrained tone, and rich symbolism, the poem captures the complex interplay of past and present, joy and sorrow, that defines the human experience. While rooted in the specific historical and personal context of Hardy’s life, the poem’s emotional resonance and universal themes ensure its enduring relevance. In its quiet, understated way, Shut Out That Moon reminds us of the power of poetry to illuminate the deepest corners of the human heart, offering both solace and understanding in the face of life’s inevitable losses.