Sing Books with Emily, the Blog

Moon Song
Poem by Mildred Plew Meigs
Illustrated by Chris Conover

The poem “Moon Song” was written by Mildred Plew Meigs (1892-1944), in  1923, published in Child Life Magazine.  Her last name is sometimes listed as “Merryman.”  I was able to find learn very little about her online.  She wrote children’s poetry, mostly for Child Life magazine, and a few children’s books.  The dust jacket of Chris Conover’s illustration quotes her nephew that Meigs ‘was a very soft-spoken, warm person and was loved by all her family.’

The poem “Moon Song” is about the Moon Man and his oceanic antics in the night sky.

Chris Conover has illustrated this wonderful poem in to a Singable Picture Book.  The pictures are lovingly detailed but just a little “cute” to make it one of my favorites. The chance, however, to sing this poem, with lovely picture book, is priceless.

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Ginger Sands has written a tune for “Moon Song” and you can find it in her song collection “The Gift of Make-Believe.”

The Gift of Make-Believe (Read and Sing Along Lyric Book)
Words by Various Artists
Tunes by Ginger Sands and Various Artists
Illustrations derived from published works of Various Artists

This is a wonderful collection of songs.  You can find the lyric book above packaged with a cassette tape.

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You can also buy MP3 tracks online:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Gift-of-Make-Believe/dp/B0019VU8QU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1267562676&sr=8-4

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This terrific collection features tracks with Ginger Sands’ excellent vocals and separate instrumental tracks so you can sing the songs yourself.
“Moon Song” with vocals by Ginger Sands is found on Track 1.  “Moon Song” instrumental sing-along is found on Track 11.  With “Moon Song,” Ginger does a great job of capturing the haunting, dark, and mysterious strains of the poem and creates a lullaby sure to stir fantastical dreams of make-believe.

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As noted in “The Gift of Make-Believe.“ lyric book, you will also find a charming one page  illustration of “Moon Song” on p. 53 of “The Tall Book of Make Believe,” Illustrated by Garth Williams.  This book is hard to find and very expensive when located, but it seems to contain lots of Singable Treasures.

The Tall Book of Make-Believe
Illustrated by Garth Williams
Published by Harper and Brothers, 1950, 1978
(“Moon Song” appears on p. 53)

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MOON SONG
By Mildred Plew Meigs

Zoon, zoon, cuddle and croon–
Over the crinkling sea,
The moon man flings him a silvered net
Fashioned of moonbeams three.

And some folk say when the net lies long
And the midnight hour is ripe;
The moon man fishes for some old song
That fell from a sailor’s pipe.

And some folk say that he fishes the bars
Down where the dead ships lie,
Looking for lost little baby stars
That slid from the slippery sky.

And the waves roll out and the waves roll in
And the nodding night wind blows,
But why the moon man fishes the sea
Only the moon man knows.

Zoon, zoon, net of the moon
Rides on the wrinkling sea;
Bright is the fret and shining wet,
Fashioned of moonbeams three.

And some folk say when the great net gleams
And the waves are dusky blue,
The moon man fishes for two little dreams
He lost when the world was new.

And some folk say in the late night hours,
While the long fin-shadows slide,
The moon man fishes for cold sea flowers
Under the tumbling tide.

And the waves roll out and the waves roll in
And the gray gulls dip and doze,
But why the moon man fishes the sea
Only the moon man knows.

Zoon, zoon, cuddle and croon–
Over the crinkling sea,
The moon man flings him a silvered net
Fashioned of moonbeams three.

And some folk say that he follows the flecks
Down where the last light flows,
Fishing for two round gold-rimmed “specs”
That blew from his button-like nose.

And some folk say while the salt sea foams
And the silver net lines snare,
The moon man fishes for carven combs
That float from the mermaids’ hair.

And the waves roll out and the waves roll in
And the nodding night wind blows,
But why the moon man fishes the sea
Only the moon man knows.

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Related Posts

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POETRY SINGABLE POETRY IN COMPILATIONS
An list of  singable poems from compilations of poetry for children
https://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/singable-poetry-a-list-of-poems-that-can-be-sung-from-illustrated-compilations-of-poetry-and-singable-picture-books/

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POETRY, SINGABLE POETRY IN INDIVIDUALLY ILLUSTRATED SINGABLE PICTURE BOOKS
A list of individually illustrated poems that have been set to music and can be sung
https://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/poems-individually-illustrated-spb/

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EDUCATIONAL CONTENT
A list of SPBs with fun and sneakily educational content.  The kids won’t even know they’re learning!
https://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/singable-picture-books-with-sneaky-educational-content/

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LULLABIES IN SINGLE SONG SINGABLE PICTURE BOOKS
https://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2014/03/20/illustrated-lullabies-in-single-singable-picture-books/

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LULLABIES: ILLUSTRATED LULLABIES IN COMPILATIONS
https://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2014/03/21/illustrated-lullabies-in-compilations/