One may have "A pardlike Spirit beautiful and swift."
— Shelley, Percy Bysshe (1792-1822)
Place of Publication
Pisa
Date
1821
Metaphor
One may have "A pardlike Spirit beautiful and swift."
Metaphor in Context
A pardlike Spirit beautiful and swift--
A Love in desolation masked;--a Power
Girt round with weakness;--it can scarce uplift
The weight of the superincumbent hour;
It is a dying lamp, a falling shower,
A breaking billow;--even whilst we speak
Is it not broken? On the withering flower
The killing sun smiles brightly: on a cheek
The life can burn in blood, even while the heart may break.
A Love in desolation masked;--a Power
Girt round with weakness;--it can scarce uplift
The weight of the superincumbent hour;
It is a dying lamp, a falling shower,
A breaking billow;--even whilst we speak
Is it not broken? On the withering flower
The killing sun smiles brightly: on a cheek
The life can burn in blood, even while the heart may break.
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Shelley's Poetry and Prose. Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Donald H. Reiman and Sharon B. Powers. New York: Norton, 1977.
Date of Entry
12/23/2007
