A selenophile is a person who loves the moon. Who doesn’t? Who doesn’t love a light guiding them in the eerie and gloomy darkness, though the light is borrowed from the sun? A white blanket, glittering in the night sky and smearing it with optimism.
The moon, with its white smile, is surely the best ambassador for all the dentists in town and an inspiration for all the toothpaste companies!
The poets and, perhaps, the writers would be least happy without the moon. How would they write an ode to the moon? How would writers ensnare the audience into a romantic scene without taking help from the moon? How would the earth produce tides without the moon? How would we romanticise life? I am sure that the stars, though they are bigger and brighter than the moon and far away from earth, feel jealous of the love and attention the moon receives.
July 20, 1969, the day humans and the lunar module of the Apollo Mission landed on the moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the people who first landed on the surface of moon. “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Words that Neil Armstrong said when he put his left foot on the surface of the moon. Truly, it was a giant leap for mankind — a leap that crossed all the hurdles and barriers that the human mind was filled with. It showed what humans are capable of, outmanoeuvring all challenges that came through.
The moon is filled with a myriad of mysteries and holds great importance in most of the mythologies. In Greek mythology, Selene was the moon goddess, and she was depicted with a crescent moon on her head. She and her brother Helios, who was god of the sun, were responsible for controlling the movements of the sun and moon.
Selene fell in love with a shepherd boy, she loved him so much that she did not want him to die, as he was mortal. So, she put him to eternal sleep, and he remained young forever.
Truly, love turned into madness. Clearly, Selene can be a true metaphor for the moon — a peerless symbol of love.
There are a plethora of stories on this subject with different variations, but the gist remains the same.
Words, information, hyperboles, metaphors, and puns always feel short when written about the moon. A celestial body so far away from humans but so close to their culture that it is omnipresent. Books, mythologies, movies, and religion are the things that would always be incomplete without the moon. Quotes like eid ka chand, chand ka tukda have so much relevance in our daily vocabulary for people who speak Hindi. The moon has always been seen in a positive light.
There was a beautiful quote I read by Ani DiFranco that said, “The moon was so beautiful that the ocean held up a mirror.” Truly, the moon is a magical creation, and you don’t need to be a selenophile to enjoy it.
kazimbootwala76@gmail.com
