The poem
Sun of the sleepless! melancholy star! Whose tearful beam glows tremulously far, That show'st the darkness thou canst not dispel, How like art thou to joy remember'd well!
So gleams the past, the light of other days, Which shines, but warms not with its powerless rays; A night-beam Sorrow watcheth to behold, Distinct but distant -- clear -- but, oh how cold!
The poem is about the moon letting the sun's rays shine through it. The moon is only reminding us of past memories, but it is not strong enough to create any new memories or to produce any wamrth. It's hard for me to determine a theme for this poem, as I'm not very good at getting deep into poems, but only at deciphering their literal/surface meanings. I think it just has to do with people being sleepless, and looking to the moon to show them their memories of yesterdays, as it lets rays of the sun slip by.
The Past and Its "Warmth"
"Sun of the sleepless" depicts part of the internal conflicts built by past events. The "sleepless" nature refers to the anxiety, or restlessness, felt by those facing difficult times. The memories of the past have a "tearful beam" that "glows tremulously far" or a melancholy (see line 1). This beam is a moment of light or happiness, but it must be carried with tears as it reminds of a time much different than the…
Read the whole comment"Sun of the sleepless" depicts part of the internal conflicts built by past events. The "sleepless" nature refers to the anxiety, or restlessness, felt by those facing difficult times. The memories of the past have a "tearful beam" that "glows tremulously far" or a melancholy (see line 1). This beam is a moment of light or happiness, but it must be carried with tears as it reminds of a time much different than the current. It cannot be dispelled by the darkness or made faint because it is such a prominent memory, "How like art thou to Joy remembered well!". This line is particularly important to understanding this poem. There was once a time of great joy for the speaker, however, in this time of great trouble, it has a much more different and difficult feeling. It is a memory of joy, but it brings hardship. It "shines, but warms not with its powerless rays". It can provide vision for one to gauge the present world, but will not comfort the person in the current times. The speaker of the poem, defined as "Sorrow" can only watch the "Distinct" - or visually significant in the past - memory as it distantly reminds the speaker of the warmth he must had. And "how cold!" it is, indeed.