Night Clouds
Night Clouds
Amy Lowell (1874-1925)
The white mares of the moon rush along the sky
Beating their golden hoofs upon the glass heavens;
The white mares of the moon are all standing on their hind legs
Pawing at the green porcelain doors of the remote heavens
Fly, Mares!
Strain your utmost
Scatter the milky dust of stars,
Or the tiger sun will leap upon you and destroy you
With one lick of his vermilion tongue.
Questions for Discussion
1. What is the writer describing in this poem?
A) A rainy night
B) A morning in the jungle
C) A partly cloudy dawn
D) A moonlit night
E) Midday on the ocean
2. What are the white mares?
A) Stars
B) Clouds
C) Statues
D) Ghosts
E) Waving trees
3. What is the poet describing in the last lines?
A) A tiger attacking an animal
B) Moonrise
C) The sun burning off clouds
D) Sunrise in the jungle
E) An argument
4. The expression "tiger sun" is an example of:
A) A simile
B) A metaphor
C) Figurative language
D) Personification
E) Alliteration
5. The poem is an example of what type of poetry?
A) Sonnet
B) Lyric
C) Elegy
D) Ode
E) Narrative
6. Which of the following best describes the writer's tone in this poem?
A) Solemn
B) Introspective
C) Playful
D) Serious
E) Insightful
7. Why is the poet urging the mares to fly?
A) To avoid being eaten
B) To get home
C) To win the race
D) To keep from disappearing with sunrise
E) To go higher in the sky
8. What is the best interpretation of the expression "glass Heavens"?
A) A clear but restricted ceiling
B) A high point in the skies
C) The road the mares are on
D) A reflection of life
E) An opening to the other side of the world
9. What does the "vermilion" mean in the last line?
A) Stickly
B) Catlike
C) Wet
D) Red
E) Hard
10. Which of the following senses is the poet appealing to the most?
A) Taste: flavor
B) Sound: volume
C) Sight: color
D) Sound: hearing
E) Touch: feeling