In "Full Moon and Little Frieda," English poet Ted Hughes remembers an evening he spent with his daughter Frieda when she was a small child. The two go out into the garden on an ordinary night that becomes extraordinary when Frieda excitedly remarks upon the full moon—a presence that, in the poem, seems to look right back at Frieda with equal astonishment. This poem first appeared in Hughes's 1967 collection Wodwo. Written in free verse and filled with striking imagery, the poem speaks to the beauty of nature, the wonder of childhood, and the surreal magic of being a parent.
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The Full Text of “Full Moon and Little Frieda”
The Full Text of “Full Moon and Little Frieda”
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“Full Moon and Little Frieda” Summary
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“Full Moon and Little Frieda” Themes
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Childhood Wonder and the Beauty of Nature
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-11
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The Magic of Parenthood
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-11
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Full Moon and Little Frieda”
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Lines 1-2
A cool small ...
... And you listening. -
Lines 3-5
A spider's web, ...
... to a tremor. -
Lines 6-9
Cows are going ...
... cry suddenly, "Moon! Moon!" -
Lines 10-11
The moon has ...
... at him amazed.
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“Full Moon and Little Frieda” Symbols
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The Moon
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Lines 9-11: “"Moon!" you cry suddenly, "Moon! Moon!" / The moon has stepped back like an artist gazing amazed at a work / That points at him amazed.”
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“Full Moon and Little Frieda” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Metaphor
Where metaphor appears in the poem:- Line 3: “A spider's web, tense for the dew's touch.”
- Lines 4-5: “A pail lifted, still and brimming—mirror / To tempt a first star to a tremor.”
- Line 6: “their warm wreaths of breath—”
- Lines 7-8: “A dark river of blood, many boulders, / Balancing unspilled milk.”
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Simile
Where simile appears in the poem:- Lines 10-11: “The moon has stepped back like an artist gazing amazed at a work / That points at him amazed.”
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Imagery
Where imagery appears in the poem:- Line 1
- Lines 3-5
- Line 6
- Line 10
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Anaphora
Where anaphora appears in the poem:- Line 1: “A cool small evening”
- Line 3: “A spider's web”
- Line 4: “A pail lifted”
- Line 7: “A dark river of blood”
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Diacope
Where diacope appears in the poem:- Line 9: “Moon!,” “Moon! Moon!”
- Line 10: “amazed”
- Line 11: “amazed”
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Alliteration
Where alliteration appears in the poem:- Line 1: “bark,” “bucket”
- Line 3: “tense,” “touch”
- Line 5: “To tempt,” “to,” “tremor”
- Line 6: “lane,” “looping,” “breath”
- Line 7: “blood,” “boulders”
- Line 8: “Balancing”
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“Full Moon and Little Frieda” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Clank
- Brimming
- Tremor
- Hedges
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(Location in poem: Line 1: “the clank of a bucket”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Full Moon and Little Frieda”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Full Moon and Little Frieda” Speaker
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“Full Moon and Little Frieda” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Full Moon and Little Frieda”
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More “Full Moon and Little Frieda” Resources
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External Resources
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The Poem Aloud — Listen to a reading of the poem.
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A Brief Biography — Learn more about Hughes's life and work via the Poetry Foundation.
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Hughes and Frieda — Read a letter that Ted Hughes wrote to Frieda Hughes (and see a picture of the two of them together at around the time this poem takes place).
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Hughes's Legacy — Read contemporary poet Alice Oswald's appreciation of Hughes.
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An Interview with "Little Frieda" — Learn more about "little Frieda," who is now a painter and poet, in this Guardian interview (in which she reveals that "Full Moon and Little Frieda" is her favorite of her father's poems).
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Ted Hughes
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