As we get through the summer, I have been sharing a new Irish love poem every week. And this week, I have a touching poem about love and togetherness. In the poem “Moonshine” by Richard Murphy, the speaker reflects on the idea that in order to think deeply, they need to be alone.
However, when it comes to love, they recognise the importance of being together with someone else. The poem explores the contrasting nature of solitude and companionship, suggesting that while solitude is necessary for introspection, love and connection require the presence of another person. The playful back and forth between thinking and loving shows how the loved one stays in the speaker’s mind, even in their absence. A truly great Irish love poem and one that had to make it on my top Irish love poems list.
You can read my notes on this wonderful Irish love poem, Moonshine, below.nbsp;
Moonshine By Richard Murphy
To love / We must be together.
Richard Murphy’s Moonshine is a tiny poem built like a riddle. It takes two verbs, think and love, and turns them over and over like pieces of a puzzle. Even the title hints at the joke, since moonshine can mean foolish talk as well as moonlight.
The speaker needs solitude to think but company to love, and those two needs keep tripping over each other. Neither being alone nor being together ever feels quite complete. It is a light, witty poem, but it catches something true about how love and independence pull against each other in any relationship.
Moonshine opens the first section of The Price of Stone, the collection Murphy published with Faber in 1985, and it was later included in his Collected Poems.
Read the full poem: Moonshine by Richard Murphy at the Poetry Archive. You will also find it in Collected Poems (The Gallery Press).
What do you make of the poem Moonshine?nbsp;
Just to summarize, the poem “Moonshine” by Richard Murphy explores the complexities of being human and provides a heartfelt reflection on the way we think and love. Did it make you think about love?
If you enjoyed this Irish love poem, then I would suggest you also check out ‘I shall not die for Thee’ by Douglas Hyde. This poem reflects a sense of liberation and self-realization. It speaks of someone who has come to terms with a failed love affair or unrequited love.