Song

Percy Bysshe Shelley 1792 (Horsham) – 1822 (Lerici)



Rarely, rarely comest thou,
    Spirit of Delight!
Wherefore hast thou left me now
    Many a day and night?
Many a weary night and day
'Tis since thou art fled away.

How shall ever one like me
    Win thee back again?
With the joyous and the free
    Thou wilt scoff at pain.
Spirit false! thou hast forgot
All but those who need thee not.

As a lizard with the shade
    Of a trembling leaf,
Thou with sorrow art dismayed;
    Even the sighs of grief
Reproach thee, that thou art not near,
And reproach thou wilt not her.

Let me set my mournful ditty
    To a merry measure;--
Thou wilt never come for pity,
    Thou wilt come for pleasure;
Pity then will cut away
Those cruel wings, and thou wilt stay.

I love all that thou lovest,
    Spirit of Delight!
The fresh Earth in new leaves dressed,
    And the starry night;
Autumn evening, and the morn
When the golden mists are born.

I love snow and all the forms
    Of the radiant frost;
I love waves, and winds, and storms,
    Everything almost
Which is Nature's, and may be
Untainted by man's misery.

I love tranquil solitude,
    And such society
As is quiet, wise, and good;
    Between thee and me
What difference? but thou dost possess
The things I seek, not love them less.

I love Love--though he has wings,
    And like light can flee,
But above all other things,
    Spirit, I love thee--
Thou art love and life! O come!
Make once more my heart thy home!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:18 min read
138

Quick analysis:

Scheme aBabcc dxdxee fgfgxh dhdhcc bBxbii jxjxdd xdxdkk ldldxx
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,376
Words 258
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is regarded by critics as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. more…

All Percy Bysshe Shelley poems | Percy Bysshe Shelley Books

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