Smith’s fourth sonnet, To The Moon, utilizes Greek mythology and imagery to mesmerize the reader into seeing Nature as a place where “the wretched may have rest”(Lyrical Ballads pg. 145 l. 8). The first line where Smith refers to a queen of the silver bow reminded me instantly of the Greek Goddess Artemis, who is associated with the moon. In art and literature, “she often was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows”( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis#cite_note-Hammond-3/). By characterizing the moon in this way, the author allows the reader to view Nature not just as our idle surroundings, but as an active role player in our fate.
When the words placid, mild, and benignant are used in lines five through ten, she is attributing human characteristics to the moon. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word benignant means, “Cherishing or exhibiting kindly feeling towards inferiors or dependants; gracious, benevolent (with some suggestion of condescension or patronage)”(OED online). The moon, and Nature by extension acts upon us dynamically, and isn’t something that just sits in the sky to be admired. Nature is constantly in conversation with humanity, and we can relieve ourselves of our troubles by participating in the conversation.
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