figurative meaning of these words?

Question

Here's the poem:

A sliver ship on wings of cloud
Glides silent by, as branches bowed
Then stretched their thorny fingers high
To snag the moon as it sailed by


Ok, what is the figurative meaning of " wings of cloud" And " as braches bowed?

Answer 1

I'd say that the first refers to a plane so far up in the sky that you can't hear its motors (making it silently glide by) and that the "wings of cloud" mean that the plane is flying through clouds, giving the impression that the plane's wings (the sight of which, from the ground, would be blocked by the clouds swirling by) are made of clouds.
The "branches bowed, then stretched up to snag the moon" would probably refer to the fact that the wind is rustling perfectly normal branches of a tree by first pushing them down (bowing) then blowing them up into positions that look like fingers trying to grab hold of the moon as it slowly travels along the sky.
You think?

Answer 2

first= on the thin atmosphere of the cloud. Second branches bowed= branches bent.

Answer 3

sounds like a plane in the sky -

and the wind is blowing

next

Answer 4

Do you know any history about the poem? or who wrote it? If you know some background, you'll be able to understand it better.

Answer 5

it means that the stars were twinkling like diamonds and that they looked like they were close enough to touch.