Poem 4, "The Sun and Moon Circus Soothes the Wakeful Guests" Summary

This tight little poem is in a song form quite famous in the 18th century, the romance-six or rime couye. In the first stanza, the tiger wakes up at night and wants to know what that rumbling noise is that wakes him up. The rabbit replies in the second stanza, that it is a dancing moon entering the sky, "twirling on her toes." The third stanza contains a comment from the King of Cats, who's evidently afraid, asking about the flashing light that's keeping him awake. Our enterprising and soothing rabbit reassures him that it's just the Sun, crouching for a leap, preparing for his opening act.

By this time the first person boy is awake and alarmed. He rings a bell above...