The following version of this poem was used to create this guide: Lowell, Amy. “The Garden By Moonlight.” Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51735/the-garden-by-moonlight.

Note that all parenthetical citations refer to the line number from which the quotation is taken.

“The Garden By Moonlight” is a 24-line, single stanza poem by American imagist poet Amy Lowell. Lowell believed that imagist poetry should “use the language of common speech, create new rhythms, present an image, and be hard and clear, never blurred nor indefinite.” Her own approach suggests that this poem should be taken at face value, describing a tranquil scene that embodies both serenity and freedom. However, scholars have looked for symbolism and metaphor, sometimes equating the garden itself with the landscape of the female body.