Back to: Karnataka Board Class 6th English Guide and Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Richard Edwards wrote the poem “The Comet and the Moon.” It is a fictitious dialogue between a racing comet and the moon. The poem is written from the standpoint of a moon that is discontent with its current circumstances and envious of the comet. The moon urges a racing comet to halt and listen to its troubles, in the poem.
About The Poet
Richard Edwards, a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, was an English poet, dramatist, and composer. Edwards was the son of Agnes (Blewitt) and William Edwardes, and was born in North Petherton, Somerset, England. He attended Oxford’s Corpus Christi College.
Theme Of The Poem
The moon appears glum to a speeding comet. When asked, the moon said it was doomed, which made him quite upset. He invites the comet to come over and talk about his problems.
Stanza 1-2
“Tell me” said the comet, As it whooshed past the moon's pale face, “Why do you look so sulky As you make your way through space?” “You will sulk as well,” the moon said, if you were doomed like me, To always plod the same path In chains of gravity.
A comet whizzed through the pale face of the moon. The comet inquires of the moon as to why it appeared gloomy as it travelled across space. Even the comet would grumble if it was destined like it, the moon said unhappily. The moon criticizes the fact that it has to follow the same path as always, which is confined by gravity’s bands.
Stanza 3-4
You are free to flare and sizzle, You roam like rockets do, While I am stuck here in the orbit Of the Earth ........... I envy you. Once things were better - spacemen Came up to float and walk And scratch my back.
It enviously admires the comet since it can flare and sizzle as it pleases, and go across space like a rocket. The Moon is trapped in the Earth’s orbit. The Moon recalls a period when a few astronauts from Earth arrived on it to wander around and scratch it.
Stanza 5
Now life’s too dull “So, comet, stay and talk.” The comet didn't answer, Already it had gone To wag its tail round Venus While the moon trudged on.
However, once the astronauts departed, the moon’s life became monotonous again. As a result, the moon begs the comet to wait and speak to him. But before he could get a response, the comet had already left, wiggling its tail around Venus. Sadly, the moon plod on, trapped in its orbit around the Earth.
