Analysis of Song. To [Harriet]

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



Ah! sweet is the moonbeam that sleeps on yon fountain,
And sweet the mild rush of the soft-sighing breeze,
And sweet is the glimpse of yon dimly-seen mountain,
'Neath the verdant arcades of yon shadowy trees.

But sweeter than all was thy tone of affection,
Which scarce seemed to break on the stillness of eve,
Though the time it is past!--yet the dear recollection,
For aye in the heart of thy [Percy] must live.

Yet he hears thy dear voice in the summer winds sighing,
Mild accents of happiness lisp in his ear,
When the hope-winged moments athwart him are flying,
And he thinks of the friend to his bosom so dear.--

And thou dearest friend in his bosom for ever
Must reign unalloyed by the fast rolling year,
He loves thee, and dearest one never, Oh! never
Canst thou cease to be loved by a heart so sincere.


Scheme ABAB AXAX CXCD EDED
Poetic Form Quatrain  (50%)
Metre 11101111110 01011101101 011011110110 101001111001 110111111010 11111101011 101111101010 1100111111 1111110010110 11011001011 101110011110 011101111011 011010110110 1101101101 111010110110 111111101101
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 820
Words 155
Sentences 9
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 40
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 159
Words per stanza (avg) 37
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

46 sec read
55

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

8 fans

Discuss this Percy Bysshe Shelley poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Song. To [Harriet]" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/29229/song.-to-%5Bharriet%5D>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    12
    days
    10
    hours
    25
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    What animal did Robert Burns call "Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim’rous beastie"?
    A Spider
    B Sparrow
    C Mole
    D Mouse