--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I The moving sun-shapes on the spray, The…" description: "\"“I The moving sun-shapes on the spray, The sparkles where the brook was flowing, Pink faces, plightings, moonlit May, These were the things we wished w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/christopher-nuttall-28371_thomas-hardy_i-the-moving-sun-shapes-on-the-spray-the_312563.jpg" --- # I The moving sun-shapes on the spray, The sparkles where… ![“I The moving sun-shapes on the spray, The sparkles where the brook was flowing, Pink faces, plightings, moonlit May, These were the things we wished would stay; But they were going. II Seasons of blankness as of snow, The silent bleed of a world decaying, The moan of multitudes in woe, These were…” quote by Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/christopher-nuttall-28371_thomas-hardy_i-the-moving-sun-shapes-on-the-spray-the_312563.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/christopher-nuttall-28371_thomas-hardy_i-the-moving-sun-shapes-on-the-spray-the_312563.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/christopher-nuttall-28371_thomas-hardy_i-the-moving-sun-shapes-on-the-spray-the_312563.jpg) > ““I The moving sun-shapes on the spray, The sparkles where the brook was flowing, Pink faces, plightings, moonlit May, These were the things we wished would stay; But they were going.   II Seasons of blankness as of snow, The silent bleed of a world decaying, The moan of multitudes in woe, These were the things we wished would go; But they were staying.   III Then we looked closelier at Time, And saw his ghostly arms revolving To sweep off woeful things with prime, Things sinister with things sublime Alike dissolving.   (Thomas Hardy - Going and Staying.)”” [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s fleeting beauty and inevitable decay contrast, urging acceptance of change and the passage of time. **In simple terms:** Beauty fades, decay persists; time moves everything. Key Takeaway Embrace impermanence and find peace. Themes impermanence beauty decay time reflection Mood melancholic reflective Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - personal loss - nature appreciation - creative writing - spiritual practice Key Concepts philosophy poetry Questions to Reflect On - What does this poem teach about holding onto memories? - How can you honor change without grief? A Different Perspective Focusing on loss may overlook moments of joy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Sometimes the soul takes pictures of things it has wished for, but never seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/sometimes-the-soul-takes-pictures-of-things-it-has-wished-for-but/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [Sometimes the soul takes pictures of the little things it has wished for, but never seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne/sometimes-the-soul-takes-pictures-of-the-little-things-it-has-wished/) [Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne/) > [Your Reality is an accumulation of all the things that you have wished for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/your-reality-is-an-accumulation-of-all-the-things-that-you-have/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [“Was this adulthood? To wake up every day and know it would bring both good and bad? To do things you had to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-c-hunter/was-this-adulthood-to-wake-up-every-day-and-know-it-would-bring-both/) [C.C. Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-c-hunter/) > [“He moved to kiss my forehead, my eyes, my cheeks, my lips for several long, searching moments. Right then, I wished we could stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-tawn-bergren/he-moved-to-kiss-my-forehead-my-eyes-my-cheeks-my-lips-for-several/) [Lisa Tawn Bergren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-tawn-bergren/) > [“I wished I could have made him stay, to explain that I wanted things between us to be good, not so that he'd defend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-wished-i-could-have-made-him-stay-to-explain-that-i-wanted-things/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“She wished she could stay here, where nothing could ever touch her but him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-garnier/she-wished-she-could-stay-here-where-nothing-could-ever-touch-her-but/) Red Garnier > [“I can't leave the children," she said in a trailing voice. If there was anything she ever wished for, it was for him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sahar-delijani/i-can-t-leave-the-children-she-said-in-a-trailing-voice-if-there-was/) [Sahar Delijani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sahar-delijani/) > [“He wasn’t sure what to do. If he left the rock, it would only take a few minutes of desert air to dry his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-anderson/he-wasn-t-sure-what-to-do-if-he-left-the-rock-it-would-only-take-a/) [Scott Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-anderson/) > [“When I mentioned to a friend I was writing a book about eggs he told me to be sure to mention how in Thomas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-birkhead/when-i-mentioned-to-a-friend-i-was-writing-a-book-about-eggs-he-told/) [Tim Birkhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-birkhead/) > [“The Convergence of the Twain Thomas Hardy, 1840 - 1928 (Lines on the loss of the “Titanic”) I In a solitude of the sea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-convergence-of-the-twain-thomas-hardy-1840-1928-lines-on-the-loss/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“West Country novelist Thomas Hardy almost did not survive his birth in 1840 because everyone thought he was stillborn. He did not appear to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mason/west-country-novelist-thomas-hardy-almost-did-not-survive-his-birth/) Phil Mason > [“During any prolonged activity one tends to forget original intentions. But I believe that, when making a start on A Month in the Country,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-carr/during-any-prolonged-activity-one-tends-to-forget-original-intentions/) [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) > [ “Stilletos of a frozen stillicide \[...\] In the lovely line heading this comment the reader should note the last word. My dictionary defines it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/stilletos-of-a-frozen-stillicide-in-the-lovely-line-heading-this/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“Haunting the library as a kid, reading poetry books when I was not reading bird books, I had been astonished at how often birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenn-kaufman/haunting-the-library-as-a-kid-reading-poetry-books-when-i-was-not/) [Kenn Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenn-kaufman/) ## More by Christopher Nuttall > [“His more cynical side suspected that humans had never really needed an excuse to pick on other humans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/his-more-cynical-side-suspected-that-humans-had-never-really-needed/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [“Do not confuse "duty" with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/do-not-confuse-duty-with-what-other-people-expect-of-you-they-are/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [“Right,” Chong said sarcastically.  “Next time perhaps we could surrender and call it a tactical strike without arms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/right-chong-said-sarcastically-next-time-perhaps-we-could-surrender/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [“War was a democracy, he knew.  The enemy got a vote too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/war-was-a-democracy-he-knew-the-enemy-got-a-vote-too/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [“Well,” Jasmine said.  “Did you miss them?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/well-jasmine-said-did-you-miss-them/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [“Admiral,” he said.  He couldn't resist.  “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/admiral-he-said-he-couldn-t-resist-reports-of-my-death-have-been/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [“It is an illusion that youth is happy, an illusion of those who have lost it; but the young know they are wretched, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/it-is-an-illusion-that-youth-is-happy-an-illusion-of-those-who-have-3/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [“In the long, fierce struggle for freedom of opinion, the press, like the Church, counted its martyrs by thousands. -James A. Garfield”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/in-the-long-fierce-struggle-for-freedom-of-opinion-the-press-like-the-2/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [“One of the most dangerous signs of decline is the sudden reluctance to tolerate different points of view in political debate.  Questions and issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/one-of-the-most-dangerous-signs-of-decline-is-the-sudden-reluctance/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [“It was astonishing just how smart the old man had become in the years between Kurt reaching his teenage years and growing out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/it-was-astonishing-just-how-smart-the-old-man-had-become-in-the-years/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [“delight in putting colonies everywhere.  The Tadpoles noted the terraforming project on the fourth world with bemusement.  There was no shortage of habitable worlds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/delight-in-putting-colonies-everywhere-the-tadpoles-noted-the/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [“This may seem absurd – after all, the motives are good.  But you may also wish to remember the parable of the cooked frog. …](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/this-may-seem-absurd-after-all-the-motives-are-good-but-you-may-also/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [“The federal government hated it when people tried to move outside its sphere of control, no matter the reason.  It was incapable of leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/the-federal-government-hated-it-when-people-tried-to-move-outside-its/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [“there would always be incompetent assholes in the world ... and many of them would be in places of power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/there-would-always-be-incompetent-assholes-in-the-world-and-many-of/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [“Fairness is a foolish concept,” the man said dryly.  The line of Russian infantrymen seemed never-ending.  “The world is full of people who would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/fairness-is-a-foolish-concept-the-man-said-dryly-the-line-of-russian/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) [Explore all 19 Christopher Nuttall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) ## More Thomas Hardy quotes > [ “Stilletos of a frozen stillicide \[...\] In the lovely line heading this comment the reader should note the last word. My dictionary defines it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/stilletos-of-a-frozen-stillicide-in-the-lovely-line-heading-this/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“During any prolonged activity one tends to forget original intentions. But I believe that, when making a start on A Month in the Country,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-carr/during-any-prolonged-activity-one-tends-to-forget-original-intentions/) [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) > [“West Country novelist Thomas Hardy almost did not survive his birth in 1840 because everyone thought he was stillborn. He did not appear to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mason/west-country-novelist-thomas-hardy-almost-did-not-survive-his-birth/) Phil Mason > [“The Convergence of the Twain Thomas Hardy, 1840 - 1928 (Lines on the loss of the “Titanic”) I In a solitude of the sea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-convergence-of-the-twain-thomas-hardy-1840-1928-lines-on-the-loss/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“When I mentioned to a friend I was writing a book about eggs he told me to be sure to mention how in Thomas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-birkhead/when-i-mentioned-to-a-friend-i-was-writing-a-book-about-eggs-he-told/) [Tim Birkhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-birkhead/) > [“Haunting the library as a kid, reading poetry books when I was not reading bird books, I had been astonished at how often birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenn-kaufman/haunting-the-library-as-a-kid-reading-poetry-books-when-i-was-not/) [Kenn Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenn-kaufman/) > [“We late-lamented, resting here, Are mixed to human jam, And each to each exclaims in fear, ‘I know not which I am!’ ” —Thomas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-crombie/we-late-lamented-resting-here-are-mixed-to-human-jam-and-each-to-each/) [Deborah Crombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-crombie/) > [“I must assume that knowing is better than not know, venturing better than not venturing; and that magic and illusion, however rich, however alluring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/i-must-assume-that-knowing-is-better-than-not-know-venturing-better/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [“Few poets better convey the uneasy transition from Victorianism to Modernism than Thomas Hardy. His novels, written between 1870 and 1895, made him not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-carter/few-poets-better-convey-the-uneasy-transition-from-victorianism-to/) [Ronald Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-carter/) > [“What about fateful turns in your life? Naturalists like Thomas Hardy proposed that some people are simply born under 'a blighted star' like his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-leslie/what-about-fateful-turns-in-your-life-naturalists-like-thomas-hardy/) Roger Leslie > [Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles is a novel that I have read over and over and over again. Tess is a pure child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laetitia-casta/thomas-hardy-s-tess-of-the-d-urbervilles-is-a-novel-that-i-have-read/) [Laetitia Casta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laetitia-casta/) > [English country life is more like Chekhov than 'The Archers' or Thomas Hardy or even the Updike ethic with which it is sometimes compared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-gardam/english-country-life-is-more-like-chekhov-than-the-archers-or-thomas/) [Jane Gardam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-gardam/) > [“If 'dead' matter has reared up this curious landscape of fiddling crickets, song sparrows, and wondering men, it must be plain even to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/if-dead-matter-has-reared-up-this-curious-landscape-of-fiddling/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Thomas Hardy once advised us to record impressions more and to express ideas less. Now and then I would remember this advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mu-xin/thomas-hardy-once-advised-us-to-record-impressions-more-and-to/) [Mu Xin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mu-xin/) > [Bitter criticism caused the sensitive Thomas Hardy, one of the finest novelists ever to enrich English literature, to give up forever the writing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/bitter-criticism-caused-the-sensitive-thomas-hardy-one-of-the-finest/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) Browse all 30 Thomas Hardy quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I The moving sun-shapes on the spray, The sparkles where the brook was flowing, Pink faces, plightings, moonlit May, These were the things we wished would stay; But they were going.   II Seasons of blankness as of snow, The silent bleed of a world decaying, The moan of multitudes in woe, These were the things we wished would go; But they were staying.   III Then we looked closelier at Time, And saw his ghostly arms revolving To sweep off woeful things with prime, Things sinister with things sublime Alike dissolving.   (Thomas Hardy - Going and Staying.)”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Nuttall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/i-the-moving-sun-shapes-on-the-spray-the-sparkles-where-the-brook-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Thomas Hardy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/i-the-moving-sun-shapes-on-the-spray-the-sparkles-where-the-brook-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/christopher-nuttall-28371_thomas-hardy_i-the-moving-sun-shapes-on-the-spray-the_312563.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/christopher-nuttall-28371_thomas-hardy_i-the-moving-sun-shapes-on-the-spray-the_312563.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/christopher-nuttall-28371_thomas-hardy_i-the-moving-sun-shapes-on-the-spray-the_312563.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I The moving sun-shapes on the spray, The sparkles where the brook was flowing, Pink faces, plightings…” — Christopher Nuttall", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Christopher Nuttall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I The moving sun-shapes on the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/i-the-moving-sun-shapes-on-the-spray-the-sparkles-where-the-brook-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/i-the-moving-sun-shapes-on-the-spray-the-sparkles-where-the-brook-was/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```