I ventured forth one winter’s night
With my true ring of gold;
With warm thoughts of my fairest maid
I did not feel the cold.
The moon shines brightly from above
And lights my way to see,
That I might find my one true love
And take her off with me.
Her window was left open wide;
I saw a light within.
She stood above with some strange man
I knew was not her kin.
The moon slips through the clouds above
And hides her face from me;
She’s seen the heart of my true love
And knows this cannot be.
I see my lady kiss the man
And step then to the sill
To close the shutters tight against
The blowing winter chill.
The moon shines cold from high above
And feels so far from me,
Just like the hand of my true love
And what will never be.
Her hand upon the shutter’s latch,
My love saw me below;
She closed her eyes and shook her head
And let her sad tears flow.
The moon obeys the laws above
That tell her where to be;
She longs to greet the sun with love
But dawn says she must flee.
The shutter closed and darkness fell
And wrapped around my heart.
I turned and ran on winged feet,
So desperate to depart.
The moon is always up above
On land or on the sea.
She does not care if we find love
Or if our hearts agree.
I came up to the river’s edge
With nowhere left to go.
I hurled the ring away from me;
It splashed and sank below.
The moon is quiet high above
And watches silently
With no kind words to say of love
That cuts so cruelly.
The moon’s reflection broke apart
As ripples crossed its face;
I turned my eyes up heavenward
And saw it still in place.
The moon will always be above
As my maid’s heart will be;
Though she cannot express her love
She keeps it safe for me.