The poem "Moon-Wind" written by Ted Hughes

 

The poem "Moon-Wind" written by  Ted Hughes 

There is no wind on the moon at all 

Yet things get blown about. 

In utter, utter stillness 

Your candle shivers out. 

In utter stillness A giant marquee

Booms and flounders past you

Like a swan at sea. 

 In utter, utter stillness 

While you stand in the street

 A squall of hens and cabbages 

Knocks you off your feet. 

 In utter, utter stillness 

While you stand agog  

A tearing twisting sheet of pond

 Clouts you with a frog. 

 A camp of caravans suddenly 

Squawks and takes off. 

A Ferris wheel bounds along the skyline

Like a somersaulting giraffe. 

Roots and foundations, nails and screws, 

Nothing can hold fast, 

Nothing can resist the moon's 

Dead-still blast

The poem "Moon-Wind" written by  Ted Hughes 

Paraphrasing, Summary, Central Idea

Stanza 1.  There is no wind on the moon at all  Yet things get blown about.  In utter, utter stillness  Your candle shivers out.  Stanza 1  Paraphrase Although the moon has no wind at all, things still seem to move there. Even in complete silence, your candle flickers and goes out as if something invisible blew it. Stanza 2.  In utter stillness A giant marquee Booms and flounders past you Like a swan at sea.  Stanza 2  Paraphrase In this total stillness, a big tent (marquee) suddenly moves past you, making loud sounds and shaking, as if it were struggling like a swan moving through the sea. Stanza 3. In utter, utter stillness  While you stand in the street A squall of hens and cabbages  Knocks you off your feet.  Stanza 3  Paraphrase While you’re quietly standing in the street, out of nowhere, a strong rush of chickens and cabbages comes flying and knocks you down, even though everything was still a moment ago. Stanza 4.  In utter, utter stillness  While you stand agog   A tearing twisting sheet of pond  Clouts you with a frog.  Stanza 4  Paraphrase While you stand there amazed, a violent, swirling sheet of pond water rushes at you and hits you, and with it comes a frog! Stanza. 5.  A camp of caravans suddenly  Squawks and takes off.  A Ferris wheel bounds along the skyline Like a somersaulting giraffe.  Stanza 5 Paraphrase A group of caravans suddenly makes loud noises and lifts off the ground. Then a huge Ferris wheel leaps across the sky, tumbling around like a giraffe doing flips. Stanza 6.  Roots and foundations, nails and screws,  Nothing can hold fast,  Nothing can resist the moon's  Dead-still blast Stanza 6 Paraphrase No matter how strong or secure things are like roots, nails, or buildings. they cannot stay in place. Nothing can withstand the strange, silent force of the moon. Summary In the poem "Moon-Wind," Ted Hughes describes a strange world where complete stillness exists, yet everything behaves as if blown by powerful winds. Objects like tents, caravans, Ferris wheels, and even water and animals move wildly and unpredictably. The poem creates a dreamlike, magical setting that defies the laws of nature, blending silence with sudden chaos. Central Idea The central idea of the poem "Moon-Wind,"  is that silence or stillness can contain invisible, powerful forces that disrupt reality. Ted Hughes uses surreal/unreal imagery to suggest that the universe, especially the moon, holds mysteries beyond human understanding, where even in stillness, energy and motion exist.