At the Window Lyrics
A small child watches the bright moon wander in and out of the clouds, as if looking for something. The night feels strange, until the clouds part and the moon looks straight back. The child asks what it found.
At the Window
In and out, in and out,
Through the clouds heaped about,
Wanders the bright moon.
What she seeks, I do not know;
Where it is, I cannot show.
I am but a little child,
And the night is strange and wild.
In and out, in and out,
Wanders the bright moon;
In and out, in and out,
She will find it soon.
There she comes! as clear as day, -
Now the clouds are going away.
She is smiling, I can see,
And she's looking straight at me.
Pretty moon, so bright and round,
Won't you tell me what you found?
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/at-the-window/
- Type
- Poems for Children, Lullabies
- Written by
- Mary Mapes Dodge
- Tune
- Hushed and wondering, getting warmer when the moon appears
- Best for ages
- 2 to 6 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| In and out, in and out | Weave one hand slowly in and out of the fingers of the other. |
| There she comes! as clear as day | Open your fists into a bright round circle in front of your face. |
What Does At the Window Mean?
The first part of the poem is about not knowing. The moon wanders "in and out" through the clouds, as though it were hunting for something, and the child admits "I am but a little child, / And the night is strange and wild." That is a feeling many children will recognise at a bedroom window, and it is gently let go in the second part. The clouds go, the moon appears "as clear as day", and she is "smiling" and "looking straight at me".
The poem speaks of the moon as she. What the moon is looking for is never said, and the child's final request, "Won't you tell me what you found?", is left as an open question, which makes it a calm way to end a day.
History and Origin
Mary Mapes Dodge, the American children's author and editor best known for Hans Brinker, included this poem in Rhymes and Jingles in 1874. The poem handles a small night worry with a smiling moon rather than a lesson.
Learning Activities
- Look for the moon: on a cloudy night, stand at a window and watch the moon go behind the clouds and come out again.
- Hide and appear: use a torch behind a pillow to make a moon that comes in and out, and say the first verse.
- What did the moon find? let the child guess what the moon was looking for.
- Night talk: talk about what feels strange at night, and what helps, such as a night-light or a hug.