proverb · Legacy record
If the new moon holds the old moon in her lap, fair weather.
If the new moon holds the old moon in her lap, fair weather.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying pictures a new moon holding an old moon in her lap and predicts fair weather. Its embrace image describes a faint lunar disc beside a bright crescent.
What the words are saying
NASA explains the related crescent-and-faint-disc appearance through earthshine, sunlight reflected from Earth. That clarifies the image without verifying the fair-weather prediction. The poetic new-and-old language does not describe two separate moons or establish a pressure system.
Everyday example
A reader distinguishes the visible lunar image from the separate claim about coming weather.
When to use it
Use it to explain the poetic moon image with its forecast unverified.
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What it does not mean
Earthshine does not verify this fair-weather rule or a particular pressure pattern.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 604; PDF page 88
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
References for factual context
- NASA explains the dimly visible portion beside a crescent through sunlight reflected from Earth; this clarifies imagery, not the weather rule. — Earthshine explanation
- The archived NASA article associates the poetic old-moon/young-moon embrace with earthshine; no forecast is claimed. — Earthshine, introductory paragraph, 6 February 2002