--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The moon grows black before your eyes…" description: "\"“The moon grows black before your eyes; soon there will be darkness—ay, darkness in the hour of the full moon. Ye have asked for a sign; it is given to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/h-rider-haggard-3876_darkness_the-moon-grows-black-before-your-eyes-so_31606.jpg" --- # The moon grows black before your eyes; soon there will be… ![“The moon grows black before your eyes; soon there will be darkness—ay, darkness in the hour of the full moon. Ye have asked for a sign; it is given to you. Grow dark, O Moon! withdraw thy light, thou pure and holy One; bring the proud heart of usurping murderers to the dust, and eat up the world…” quote by H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/h-rider-haggard-3876_darkness_the-moon-grows-black-before-your-eyes-so_31606.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/h-rider-haggard-3876_darkness_the-moon-grows-black-before-your-eyes-so_31606.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/h-rider-haggard-3876_darkness_the-moon-grows-black-before-your-eyes-so_31606.jpg) > ““The moon grows black before your eyes; soon there will be darkness—ay, darkness in the hour of the full moon. Ye have asked for a sign; it is given to you. Grow dark, O Moon! withdraw thy light, thou pure and holy One; bring the proud heart of usurping murderers to the dust, and eat up the world with shadows.”” [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A prophetic warning that darkness will eclipse hope, urging surrender to shadow as a means to expose and consume corrupt power. **In simple terms:** Darkness as a cleansing force. Key Takeaway Embrace the void to confront tyranny. Themes apocalypse power spirituality rebellion transformation Mood ominous foreboding ritualistic Type prophetic mythic poetic When to use this quote - ritualistic prophecy - political upheaval - personal crisis - spiritual awakening Key Concepts light vs darkness moral decay cosmic symbolism retribution Practical Applications - ritorical writing - dark fantasy world‑building Questions to Reflect On - What does darkness represent beyond fear? - How might surrendering light change one's agency? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ay Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ay-darkness-428416/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Darkness Ay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness-ay-428414/) [Full moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/full-moon/) [Grow Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grow-dark-428413/) [Soon Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soon-darkness-428415/) [Ur Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ur-eyes/) ## Related quotes > [“O Lord, we’ve erred!’\* He sighed with heart aflame, ‘We lost the way as soon as darkness came!’ So destiny can block the sun’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jalaluddin-rumi/o-lord-we-ve-erred-he-sighed-with-heart-aflame-we-lost-the-way-as/) [Jalaluddin Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jalaluddin-rumi/) > [And soon the darkness will take over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jatin-tanwer/and-soon-the-darkness-will-take-over/) [Jatin Tanwer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jatin-tanwer/) > [“She lives in a world made entirely of the sky. It is inconceivable that one day, her world will grow so dark and distant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-zhang/she-lives-in-a-world-made-entirely-of-the-sky-it-is-inconceivable/) [Amy Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-zhang/) > [In the dark I rest, unready for the light which dawns day after day, eager to be shared. Black silk, shelter me. I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-levertov/in-the-dark-i-rest-unready-for-the-light-which-dawns-day-after-day/) [Denise Levertov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-levertov/) > [Flowers grow out of dark moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corita-kent/flowers-grow-out-of-dark-moments/) [Corita Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corita-kent/) > [“Her eyes beamed over the top of the cup like Peterbilt high beams coming over a hillcrest, full moon rising over a mountain lake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-vickers/her-eyes-beamed-over-the-top-of-the-cup-like-peterbilt-high-beams/) [Dennis Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-vickers/) > [“Outside everything was uncannily visible in the light of the full moon, but here in the dark shaded alleys the night was conscious of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-pain/outside-everything-was-uncannily-visible-in-the-light-of-the-full/) [Barry Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-pain/) > [You have some severe mental problem I need to be aware of, don’t you? (Shahara) Just because I eat babies for breakfast and pick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/you-have-some-severe-mental-problem-i-need-to-be-aware-of-don-t-you/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“Oh my sweet muse tell me what do I do on such romantic full-moon nights! You inflame my passion, and the moon serenades my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/oh-my-sweet-muse-tell-me-what-do-i-do-on-such-romantic-full-moon/) [Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/) > [“Look at all the resources around you before you make a decision. Look for ways to make your environment work for you. The solution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-sutherland/look-at-all-the-resources-around-you-before-you-make-a-decision-look/) [C.D. SUTHERLAND](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-sutherland/) > [“I looked up its history, and, surprisingly, it has quite a history. You know how in Europe they make you study a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-van-vogt-2/i-looked-up-its-history-and-surprisingly-it-has-quite-a-history-you/) [A.E. van Vogt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-van-vogt-2/) > [Now that I think about it, maybe he is a werewolf. I can picture him lunging over the moors in hot pursuit of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/now-that-i-think-about-it-maybe-he-is-a-werewolf-i-can-picture-him/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-lawrence-knowles/the-night-walked-down-the-sky-with-the-moon-in-her-hand/) [Frederic Lawrence Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-lawrence-knowles/) > [Well. We’ll just have to hope that this wasn’t a loup-garou, I guess.” “If it was a louper, you’d know,” Bob said wisely. “In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/well-we-ll-just-have-to-hope-that-this-wasn-t-a-loup-garou-i-guess-if/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [As hard as I try to live with some degree of faith in my life, I just can't believe that the full moon can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/as-hard-as-i-try-to-live-with-some-degree-of-faith-in-my-life-i-just/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) ## More by H. Rider Haggard > [Men and women, empires and cities, thrones, principalities, and powers, mountains, rivers, and unfathomed seas, worlds, spaces, and universes, all have their day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/men-and-women-empires-and-cities-thrones-principalities-and-powers/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [“Fourth reason and last: Because I am going to tell the strangest story that I remember. It may seem a queer thing to say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/fourth-reason-and-last-because-i-am-going-to-tell-the-strangest-story/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [There is no loneliness like the loneliness of crowds, especially to those who are unaccustomed to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/there-is-no-loneliness-like-the-loneliness-of-crowds-especially-to/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [Mistrust all men, and slay him whom thou mistrustest overmuch; and as for women, flee from them, for they are evil, and in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/mistrust-all-men-and-slay-him-whom-thou-mistrustest-overmuch-and-as/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [As for the girl, since she is well favoured, she shall brew the king's beer, and be numbered amongst the king's wives-unless, indeed, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/as-for-the-girl-since-she-is-well-favoured-she-shall-brew-the-king-s/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [It is awkward to listen to oneself being praised, and I was always a shy man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/it-is-awkward-to-listen-to-oneself-being-praised-and-i-was-always-a/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [“The Garden of Eden, no doubt, looked fair before man was, but I always think that it must have been fairer when Eve adorned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/the-garden-of-eden-no-doubt-looked-fair-before-man-was-but-i-always/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [“Very good; then here we have it—'4 June, total eclipse of the moon commences at 8.15 Greenwich time, visible in Teneriffe—South Africa, &c.' There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/very-good-then-here-we-have-it-4-june-total-eclipse-of-the-moon/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [Adventurer: he that goes to meet whatever may come. Well, that is what we all do in the world one way or another...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/adventurer-he-that-goes-to-meet-whatever-may-come-well-that-is-what/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [“...For like a rugged tree you are hard and sound at the core.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/for-like-a-rugged-tree-you-are-hard-and-sound-at-the-core/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [“Listen! What is life? It is a feather, it is the seed of the grass, blown hither and thither, sometimes multiplying itself and dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/listen-what-is-life-it-is-a-feather-it-is-the-seed-of-the-grass-blown/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [There are things and there are faces which, when felt or seen for the first time, stamp themselves upon the mind like a sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/there-are-things-and-there-are-faces-which-when-felt-or-seen-for-the/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [“Out of the vast main aisle there opened here and there smaller caves, exactly, Sir Henry said, as chapels open out of great cathedrals.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/out-of-the-vast-main-aisle-there-opened-here-and-there-smaller-caves/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [And now let us love and take that which is given us, and be happy; for in the grave there is no love and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/and-now-let-us-love-and-take-that-which-is-given-us-and-be-happy-for/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [How can a world be good in which Money is the moving power, and Self-interest the guiding star?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/how-can-a-world-be-good-in-which-money-is-the-moving-power-and-self/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) [Explore all 119 H. Rider Haggard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) ## More Darkness quotes > [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Strange - is it not? That of the myriads who Before us passed the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/strange-is-it-not-that-of-the-myriads-who-before-us-passed-the-door/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I promise to respect and protect your aloneness, knowing that everything created must have its period of darkness: child and bulb, poem and personality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-promise-to-respect-and-protect-your-aloneness-knowing-that/) [anne morrow lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [The beauty of darkness is how it lets you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-beauty-of-darkness-is-how-it-lets-you-see/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Even in darkness your lips taste of sunshine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/even-in-darkness-your-lips-taste-of-sunshine/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [“Defy me not for gleam can only shine in my existence" said Darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/defy-me-not-for-gleam-can-only-shine-in-my-existence-said-darkness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What does he look like? The question was soft- tentative. I knew who he meant. I interlaced my fingers through Rhysand's and squeezed tightly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/what-does-he-look-like-the-question-was-soft-tentative-i-knew-who-he/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/) [Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/) > [“Life is like coffee, the darker it gets, the more it energizes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankita-singhal/life-is-like-coffee-the-darker-it-gets-the-more-it-energizes/) [Ankita Singhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankita-singhal/) > [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) [Nicole Gentile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gentile/) [Browse all 8,219 Darkness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The moon grows black before your eyes; soon there will be darkness—ay, darkness in the hour of the full moon. Ye have asked for a sign; it is given to you. Grow dark, O Moon! withdraw thy light, thou pure and holy One; bring the proud heart of usurping murderers to the dust, and eat up the world with shadows.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "H. Rider Haggard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/the-moon-grows-black-before-your-eyes-soon-there-will-be-darkness-ay/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Darkness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/the-moon-grows-black-before-your-eyes-soon-there-will-be-darkness-ay/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/h-rider-haggard-3876_darkness_the-moon-grows-black-before-your-eyes-so_31606.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/h-rider-haggard-3876_darkness_the-moon-grows-black-before-your-eyes-so_31606.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e0/h-rider-haggard-3876_darkness_the-moon-grows-black-before-your-eyes-so_31606.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The moon grows black before your eyes; soon there will be darkness—ay, darkness in the hour of the full…” — H. Rider Haggard", "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": "H. Rider Haggard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The moon grows black before your...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/the-moon-grows-black-before-your-eyes-soon-there-will-be-darkness-ay/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/the-moon-grows-black-before-your-eyes-soon-there-will-be-darkness-ay/#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 } } ] } ```