Lord Alfred Tennyson · England · 1830
Move eastward, happy earth, and leave Yon orange sunset waning slow: From fringes of the faded eve, O, happy planet, eastward go: Till over thy dark shoulder glow Thy silver sister world, and rise To glass herself in dewey eyes That watch me from the glen below. Ah, bear me with thee, lightly borne, Dip forward under starry light, And move me to my marriage-morn, And round again to happy night.
Lord Alfred Tennyson · England · 1830
Move eastward, happy earth, and leave Yon orange sunset waning slow: From fringes of the faded eve, O, happy planet, eastward go: Till over thy dark shoulder glow Thy silver sister world, and rise To glass herself in dewey eyes That watch me from the glen below. Ah, bear me with thee, lightly borne, Dip forward under starry light, And move me to my marriage-morn, And round again to happy night.
“Move eastward, happy earth, and leave…”
In this luminous meditation, Tennyson addresses the Earth itself as a living, conscious being—almost like a dear friend. He watches the sunset fade in the west and speaks to the planet as if urging it gently to turn toward the dawn, toward the east where new light awaits. There's an intimate quality here, as though the speaker and the Earth are companions in motion together.
“Ah, bear me with thee, lightly borne,…”
The poem carries a deep longing for transformation and new beginnings. Tennyson speaks of his own desire to move forward—toward his wedding day, toward happiness, toward a life renewed by love and commitment. The moon (the Earth's "silver sister") appears as a witness to his hopes, and the dew-covered eyes watching from below suggest both the natural world and perhaps a beloved waiting for him. Everything is in motion, everything is turning toward light.
Why this poem matters
Written in the 1830s during Tennyson's early career, this poem reflects his Romantic sensibilities and his characteristic blend of emotional intimacy with grand natural imagery. The poem was likely written during or shortly before his lengthy courtship of Emily Sellwood, whom he would eventually marry in 1850, lending biographical resonance to its themes of romantic anticipation.