The Eleventh Moon
'Twas in the eleventh moon I went
wool gathering in the dim,
Near by me was a lover lad
and the sweetness was on him.
Lightly his eyes went to the east
and he with joy was dumb,
His sweet love walked a miracle
out of the moonlight come.
Oh, but he was the fine lover!
with a lover's thirsting eye:
—When two hearts beat the tune is sweet
and knows not how to die.
Her laugh it was the rainbow's laugh
delicious to the land,
And she gave to him for close loving
her little silken hand.
Her face was made of Summer thought
joined with the giddy Spring:
Gently I said, O heart, she is
too heavenly a thing.
The moon did seem as music spilled
upon her spotless gown,
And at her height of happiness
the summer tear came down.
Night—and the silence honey-wet:
the moon came to the full:
It was a time for gentle thought
and the gathering of wool.
This work is in the public domain in Australia because it was created in Australia and the term of copyright has expired. According to Australian Copyright Council - Duration of Copyright, the following works are public domain:
- published non-government works whose author died before January 1, 1955,
- anonymous or pseudonymous works and photographs published before January 1, 1955, and
- government works published more than 50 years ago (before January 1, 1974).
This work is also in the public domain in the United States because it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days), and it was first published before 1989 without complying with U.S. copyright formalities (renewal and/or copyright notice) and it was in the public domain in Australia on the URAA date (January 1, 1996). This is the combined effect of Australia having joined the Berne Convention in 1928, and of 17 USC 104A with its critical date of January 1, 1996.
Because the Australian copyright term in 1996 was 50 years, the critical date for copyright in the United States under the URAA is January 1, 1946.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1942, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 81 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse