PR O ME THEU S U N B O U N D

A LY RICAL D RAM A

I N FOU R A C TS

W IT H O TH E R PO EM S

PE R C Y BYSS HE S HELLEY
'

A U DIS NE H IE C , A MPHIA RA E, S UB T E R A M A D IT E
! D
?

L OND O N

C A N D J OL LI E R VE R E S TR E E T BON D S TR E E T

1820
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P R O M E TH E U S U N B OU N D

'

M I S C E LL A N E O U S PO E M S .

t
T he S en si i v e Pl an t

A Vi s i o n of th e S ea .

Od e to H e av e n

An Ex h t ti
or a on

O d e to th e We s t Wi n d
A n O d e , w ri tt O t b
en c o e r, 18 19 , b e fo re th e S p an i a r d s h ad

r e co v e r e d th i Lib ty
e r er

T he C l o u d

O d e to Lib er ty
 PREFA CE .

T H E Greek tr a gi cwriters in selecting as their subj ect

,

any portion of their n ational history or mythology ,

employed in their treatment of it a certain arbitrary

discretion . They by no means conceived themselves
bound to adhere to the common interpretation or to
imitate in story as in title their rivals and predecessors .

Such a system would have am ounted to a resignation of

those cl a ims to preference over their competitors which
incited the composition . The A g a me mn o n i an story
was exhibited on the Athenian theatre with a s m any
variations as dr am as .

I have presumed to emp l oy a similar licence . The

P rometheus Unbound !
of i E s chy l u s supposed the
reconcili ation of Jupiter with his victim as the price of
vi ii P RE FA C E .

the disclosure of the d anger thre a tened to his empire

by the cons u mmation of his marriage with The tis .

Thetis according to this v iew of the subj ect was given

, ,

in marriage to Peleus and Prometheus by th e permis ,

‘

sion of Jupiter delivered from his captivity by

, H er
cules . H ad I framed my story on this model ,
I should
have done no more than have attempted to restore th e
lost dr ama of jE s chy l u s ; an ambition which if my
, ,

preference to this mode of treating the subj ect had

incited me to cherish ,
the recollection of the high
comparison such an atte mpt would challe n ge might
’

well ab ate . B ut , in truth ,

I was averse from a catas
tr 0 p he so feeble as that of reconciling the C hampion
with the Oppressor of mankind . The moral interest
of the fable which is so powerfully sustained by the
,

g and
s u fl er i n endurance of Prometheus would be
'

s ,

annihilated if we could conceive of him as unsaying

his high language and qu ailing before his successful
an d
p e rfi d i o u s a d versary . The only imaginary being
resembling in any degree Prometheus is Satan ; and ,

P r o methe us is in my j udgement a more poetical cha

, ,

r ac te r th an Satan because in , ,
a ddition to courage ,

and maj esty ,

and firm and patient opposition to omni
p otent for ce he is susceptible of being described
, as
 PR E FAC E .
ix

e x empt -
fro m thei
taints of ambition ,
envy , revenge ,

and a desire for personal a ggrandisement ,

which in,

the H ero of Paradi se Lost i nterfere with the interest

, .

The character of S a tan engenders in the mind

!
a p er
n ici o u s casuistry which leads us to weigh his faul ts
‘

with his wrongs and to exc u se , the former bec ause the

latter exceed all measure . In the minds of those who

consider that magnifice n t fiction with a religious feel
ing it engenders something worse . B ut Prometheus
is as it were the typ e of the highest perfection of
,
‘

moral and intellectual nature impelled by the purest

‘

and the truest motives to the best and nobl est ends .

This Poem was c hiefly written upon the mounta ino u s

ruins of the B aths of C aracalla , among the flowery
gl a des and thickets of od oriferous blossoming trees
, ,

which are extended in ever winding labyrinths upon its

immense platforms and dizz y arches suspended in the
ai r The bright blue sky of R ome and the e ffect of
.
'

the vigorous awakening spring in that divinest climate ,

and the ne w life with which it drenches the spirits

even to into x ication ,
were the inspiratio n of this
drama .

The imagery which I have employed will be found ,

in many instances to h a ve been drawn from the opera

,
! P R E FA CE .

tions of the hum a n m ind ,

or from those e x ternal a c tions
by which they are e x pressed . This is unusual in
modern p oetry , although D ante an d S hak s p e ar e are
full of instances of the same kind : D an te indeed
m ore than any other p oet and with greater success ,
.

B ut the Greek p oets as writers to whom no resource

,

of awakening the symp a thy of their contemporaries

‘

was unknown were in the , hab i tu a l use of this p ower ;

and it is the study of their works , (sm c e a highe r
merit would prob a
bly be d enied in e , ) to which I am
willing that my read e rs sh o u ld impute this singularity .

One word is due in candour to the d egree in which the

study of contemp orary writings may have tinged my com
p o sition for such has been a topic of censure with
,
re

gard to p oems far m ore p opular ,

an d indeed m ore de
s er v e d l
y p opul ar ,
t han mine It is imp ossible that any
.

one who inh abits the s am e age with such writers as those
who stand in the foremost ranks of our own c an con ,

s c i e n ti o u s l
y assure himself that his langu age an d tone
of thought may not have been modified by the study of
the productions of those extraordinary intellects .
It
is true that not the S pirit of their genius but the forms
, , ,

in which it has manifested itself are due less to the ,

p e

c u l i ar i ti es of their own minds than to the peculi arity of

 P RE FA CE .
! i

the mor a l and intellectu al condition of the minds among

which they h ave been produced . Thus a nu mb e r of
writers possess the form whilst they want the spiri t of ,

those whom it is alleged they imitate ; because the

, ,

former is the endowment of the age in which they li ve ,

an d the l atter must b e the uncommunicated lightning

of their o wn mind .

The peculiar style of intense and c omprehensive

image ry which distinguishes the modern literature of
England ,
has not been as a general p ower the pro
, ,

d u ct of the imitation of an par ticular wri ter T he

'

y .

ma ss of capabilities remains at every period materi ally

the same ; the circ u mstances whi ch awaken it to action
perpetually chan ge . If E ngl an d were div i ded i nto
forty republics each equal ,
in p opulation and extent
'

to Athens th ere is no reason to supp ose but that

, ,

u nder institutions not more p erfect than those of

Athens each would produce philosophers and poets
,

equal to those who ( if we excep t S hak s p e ar e ) h ave

never b een surp assed We owe the gr eat writers of .

the golden a
g e of our literature to that fervid awaken
ing of the public mind which shook to dust the oldes t
and most Oppressi ve form of the C hristian religion . We
owe M ilton to the progress and developement of the
xii PR E FA CE .

sa m e S pirit the sacred M ilton was ,

let it ever be re

membere d a republic an
, , and a bold inquirer into
m orals and religion . The great writers of our o wn

age are we h ave reason to suppose the comp anions

, ,

and forerunners of some unimagined ch ange in our

social condition or the O pinions which cement it . The
cloud of mind is discharging its collected lightning ,

and the equilibrium between institutions and opinions

is no w restoring or is about to
,
be restored .

As to imitation poetry is a mimetic art

,
. It create s ,

but it creates by combination and representation .

Poetical abstr a ctions are beautiful and n e w, not

because the p ortions of which they are comp osed had
no previous existence in the mind of man or in nature ,

but b ecause the whole produced by their combination

has some intelligible and beautiful analogy with those
sources of emotion and thought and with the contem ,

p o r ar y condi tion of them : one great poe t is a m aster

piece of nature which another not only ought to study
but must st u dy . He might as wisely and as easily
determine that his mind sho u ld no longer be the
mirror of all th a t is lovely in the visible universe
‘

as exclude from his contemplation

'

the beautiful which

e x is ts in the wri tings of a great c o n te mp o r ary f flf The
 P RE FA CE .
x iii
pretence of doing it would be a pres u mpti on in any
'
‘

but the greatest ; the e ffect even in him , , would ,

be

strained ,
unnatural ,
and ine ffectual . A p oet is the
combined product of such internal powers as modify
the nature of o thers ; and of such e x t e r n al l i n flu e n ce s

as e x c i te a n d s u stain these p o wers ; he is not one but

'

both . E very ’
man s mind is in this ,
res
p e c t, . mo d i fi e d

by all the obj ects of nature and art ; by every word

and e v ery suggestion which he ever admitted to act
upon his consciousness ; it is the mirror upon which
all forms are reflected ,
an d in w hich they compose
one form . Poets , not otherwise th an philosophers ,

p ainters sculpto rs , ,
an d music i ans are in one sense , , ,

the creators and , ,

i n another ,
the creations of their ,

a
g e . Fro m this subj ection the lo ftiest do not escape .

The r e is a similarity between H omer and H esiod b e ,

tween fE s chy l u s and E uripides ,

between V irgil an d
H orace ,
betw een D ante a nd P etrarch ,
betwee n
S hak s p e ar e and Fletcher betwe en D ry den and Pope
,

each has a generic resemblanc e under which thei r

s peci fi c di s tinctions are arr a nged . If this similarity
be the result of imitation , I am willing to confess
that I have imitated .

Let this opportunity be conceded to me of a ckn ow

x iv
P RE F A CE .

ledging th a t I have what a S cotch philosopher ch a

,

ra c te r i s ti c all y a p a ssion for reformin g the

terms ,

world what p a ssion incited him to write and publish

his book he omits to explain
, . For my part I had
r a ther be damned with Plato and L ord B acon , than
go to H eaven with Pale y an d M althus . B ut it is a
mistake to suppose that I dedicate my poetical comp o
s i ti o n s solely to the direct enforcement of reform or ,

that I consider them in any de g ree as cont a ining a

re as oned system on the theory of human life . D i d ac

tic poetr y is my abhorrence ; nothing can be equ ally

well expressed in prose that is not tedious and supere
rogatory in verse . M y purpose has hi therto been sim
ply to familiarize the h ighly refined imagination of the
more Select classes of p oetical readers with beautiful
ide alisms of moral excellence ; aware that until the
min d c an love , and admire ,
and trust and hope an d
, ,

endure re a soned prin ciples of moral conduct are seeds

,

cas t up on the highw a y of life which the unconscious

p assenger tr a mples into dust ,
although they would
h e ar the harvest of his h a ppiness . Should I li ve to
ac com p lish wh a t I purpos e that is produce a syste
, ,

mati c al history of what appear to me to be the genuine

hu man soc i ety let not the a d vo cates “
'

ele ments of , of
 P RE F A CE .
! V

inj ustice an d superstition flatter themselves that I '

should t ake fE s chyl u s rather than Plato as my model .

The havi ng spoken of myself with unaffected free

d om will need little apology with the candid ; and let
the uncandid consider th a t the y inj ure me less th a n
their o wn hearts and minds by misrepresentation .

Wh a te
ver talents a person may possess to amuse and
i nstruct others be th ey ever so inconsiderable he is
, ,

yet bound to e x ert them if his attempt be ineffectual ,

let the p unishm ent of an unaccomplished purpose

have been su fficient ; let none trouble themselves to
heap the dust of oblivion upon hi s e fforts ; the pile
they raise will betr ay his gr a ve which might otherwise
h a ve been unknown .
UNBOU N D .
 D R A M A T I S P E R S O NBZ .

PR o ME T H E U S .

D E M O G O R CO N

J UP IT ER .

T H E E RT H A .

OCE AN .

A POLLO .

M E R CU R Y .

HE R C U L E S .

AS IA
PA N T H E A O c e anid e s .

IO N E

T H E PH A NT A SM OF J U P IT E R .

T HE S PI IT R OF T HE E A R TH .

SP I IT
R S O F T HE HO U R S .

S P I IT
R S . E cH O E s . F AW N S .

F I
UR E S .
20 P R O MET H EU S UN B O U N D . A CT I .

’
O er mine o wn misery and thv vain revenge .

Three thousa n d years of sleep unsheltered hours -

A nd moments aye d ivided by keen pangs

Till they seemed years torture and solitude , ,

S corn and d espair ,

—
these are mine empire .

M ore glorio u s far than that which thou s u r ve

y es t

F r Om thine unenvied throne O , ,

M ighty God
Almighty had I deigned to S hare the shame
,

Of thine ill ty ranny ,

an d hung not here
N aile d to this wall of eagle b ffl i g mountain -
a n ,

B lack wintry dead unmeasured ; without herb

, , , ,

Insect or beast or shape or sound of life

, ,
.

Ah me ! alas pain pain ever for ever

, , ,
!

No change no pause no hope

, ,
! Yet I endure .

I ask the E arth have not the mountains felt

,
?

I as k y ou H eaven the all beholding S un

,
-

H as it not seen The Sea in storm or calm , ,

H eaven s ever changing Shadow spread below

’
-
, ,

H ave its deaf wa es not heard my ago y v n ?

Ah me ! alas pain pain ever for ever

, , ,
!

T he crawling glaciers p ierce me with the spears

Of their moon freezing chrystals the bright chains
“
-

,
S CENE I . P R O MET HE US U NB O UN D .
2]

E at with their b m g cold into my bones

ur n .

H eaven s winged hound p l l ti g from thy lips

’
,
A
o u n

H is beak in poison not his own tears up

'

M y heart ; and shapeless sights come wander ng by i

,

The ghastly people of t he realm of d ream ,

M ocking me and the E arth q uake fi -

en d s are charged
To wrench the rivets fro m my quivering woun d s
When the rocks split and cl o Se again behind
While from their loud abysses howling throng
The genii of th e storm u rging the rage
Of whirlwind and a ffl i ct me with keen hail
, .

And yet to me wel come is day and night ,

Whether one breaks the hoar frost of the mo m ,

Or starry ,
d i m, and slow the other climbs ,

The leaden coloured eas t for then

-
t
l
hev l ead
The W ingless crawling hours one among whom
, ,
.

— As some dark Priest hales the relucta nt victim

Shall drag thee cruel King to kiss the blood
, ,

From these pale fe et which then might trample thee

’ ‘

If the y disdained not such a prostrate slave .

D isdain ! Ah no I pity thee . Wh at ruin

Will hunt thee u n d efended thro the wide ’
H eaven
H ow will thy soul cloven to , i ts depth with terror ,

Gape like a hell within ! I S peak in grief ,

92 P R O MET HEU S UNB O UN D .
‘

A CT I .

N ot exultation , for I hate no more ,

As then ere misery made me wise . The curse

Once breathed on thee I would recall Ye . M ountains ,

Whose many voiced -

E choes , through the mist .

Of catar a cts flung the thunder of that spell !

,

Ye icy Springs stagnant with wrinkling frost

, ,

Whic h vibrated to hear me ,

an d then crep t
’
Shuddering thro India ! Thou serenest Air ,

Thro which the Sun walks burning without be ams

’

And ye swift Whirlwin ds who on poised wings ,

H ung mute and moveless ’

o er yon hushed abyss ,

AS thunder louder than your

,
o wn , m a de rock
The orbed world If then my words had power ,

Tho u gh I a m ch a nged so that augh t evil wish

Is de a d within ; although no memory be
Of wh at is h a te ,
e the m not lose it n o w !
l t

W ha t was that curse 2

for ye all heard me spe ak .

F IR S T VOI C E : F R O M T H E M O U N TA I N S .

Thric e three hundred thousand years

’
O er the Earthquake s couch we stood
’

,
O ft, as men convulsed with fears ,

We trembled in our multitude .

S CE NE I . P R O M ET HEU S UN B O UND .

23

S EC O N D VO I C E : m om m y. sp n mcs .

Thunder bolts h ad p arched our water,

-

We had b e en s tai n e d with bitter blood

‘

And had r un mute ,

’
mid shrieks of s l aughte r ,

’
Thro a city an d a solitude .

T H IR D VOI C E F R O M T H E : AIR .

I had clothed ,
since E arth uprose ,

Its wastes in colours no t their o wn ,

A nd ‘
o ft had my serene repose
B een c l o ve n
'

by
'

many a t en d i n
g groan .

FO U R T H VOI C E FROM THE

'

: W H I R L WI a .

We had soared beneath these mountains

Unresting ages ; n or
'

ha d thunder ,

N or yon volcano s flaming fountains ’

,

N or any power b u der a o ve o r

‘

E ver made m te with wonder

’

us u .

F IR S T VOI C E .

B ut never bowed our snowy crest

As a
t the voice of thine unrest .
2 4 P RO MET HEU S UNB O UND . A CT I .

S ECON D VOI C E .

N ever such a sound before

To the Indian waves we bore .

A pil ot asleep on the ho wl in g sea’ ‘

Leaped up from the deck in agony ,

And heard and cried

, ,
Ah , wo e is me .

And died a s mad as the wil d w a ves be

'

TH I R D VOI C E .

B y such dread words from E arth to H eave n

M y still real m was never riven

When its wound was closed there stood
,

D arkness o er the d ay like blood

’
.

FO U RT H VOI C E .

And we shran k back for dreams of ruin

To frozen cav es our flight pursuing
M ade us keep silence —
thus —
an d thus
Though silence is a hell to us .

THE EAR TH . The tongueless C averns of the craggy

hills
C ried ,
M i sery ! ’
then ; the hollow H eaven replied ,
S CENE I . PRO MET HE US U NB O UND .
Q5

M isery And the O cean s purple waves ’

,

C limbing the land ,

howled to the lashing winds ,

And the pale n atio n s heard it

'

, M isery ! ’

P RO I hear a sound of voices

. not the voice
‘

Which I gave forth M other sons and thou .

,
thy -

S corn hi m without whose all enduring will

,
-

B eneath the fierce omnipotence of Jove ,

B oth they and thou had va ish ed like thin mist n ,

Unrolled on the morning wind Know ye not me .

,

The Titan H e who mad e his agony

?

The barrier to your else all conqu ering foe - !

Oh rock embosomed lawns and snow fed streams

,
-

,
-

Now seen athwart frore vapours deep below , ,

Thro wh o se ’ ’
o e r s ha d o wi n
g woods I wandered once
With Asia drinki ng life from her loved eyes
,

Why scorns the S pirit whi ch i n fo r ms ye now

‘

? ’
To commune with me me alone who ,
c he c k d ,

As one who checks a fie n d -

drawn charioteer ,

The falsehood and the force of him who reign s

Supreme and with the groans of pining slaves
,

Fi l ls your dim glens and liquid wildernesses

Why answer ye not still ? ,
B rethren
TH E EAR T H . T he y d ar e not .

P RO Who dares for I would hear th at c u rse ag ai n

.
?
.

Ha ,
what an a wful whisper rises up !
26 P R O METHEU S UNB O UND . A CT I .

’ ’
Tis scarce like sound it tingles thro the frame
As lightning tingles ,
h o v e r mg ere it strike .

Speak Spiri t ! from thine inorganic v oice

,

I only know that thou art movin g near

And love . How cursed I him ?

TH E EAR T H . H o w canst thou h ear

Who knowest not the language o f the dead
P RO Thou art a living S pirit ; speak as they
. .

TH E EAR TH . I dare not S peak like life lest ,

H ea
’
v en s fell King
Should hear and link me , to some wheel of pa i n
M ore torturing than the one whereon I roll .

’
Subtle thou art and good and tho the Gods ,

H ear not this oice yet thou art m or e than God

'

V ,

B eing wise and k ind earnestly hearken now .

P RO Obscurely th ro my brain like shadows dim

.
‘ ’
, ,

S weep awful thoughts rapid and thick ,

. I feel
Faint l ike one mingled in entwining love ;
,

’
Yet tis not pleasure .

TH E EAR T H N o .
,
tho u can st not hear
Thou art immortal and this ton gue is known
,

Only to those who die .

PRO . And what art thou ,

O me lancholy V oice
,
?

TH E E A RT H I am the Earth
.
,
28 P R O ME T HEU S UNB O UND . A CT I .

With grief ; and the thin air ,

my breath ,
was stained
’
With the contagion of a mother s h ate
B reathe d on her child s destroyer ’
aye I heard
,

Thy curse the which if thou rememberest not

, , ,

Yet my inn u merable seas and streams ,

M ountains and caves and winds and

, , , y ou wide air ,

And the inarticulate people of the dead ,

Preserve a treasured spell

,
. We meditate
In secret j oy and hope those dreadful words
B ut dare not speak them .

P RO V enerab l e mother !
.

All else who live and su ffer tak e from thee

S ome comfort ; . fl o we r s , and fruits and h appy sounds
, ,

And love though fleeting

,
these may not be mine .

B ut mine w word s I pray deny me not

o n , ,
.

T H E EAR T H They shall be told E re B ab y lon

. . was

dust ,

The M agus Z oroaster my dead child

, ,

M et his own image walking in th e garden .

That apparition sole of ,

me n ,
he s aw .

For know there are t wo worlds of life and d eath

One that which thou beholdest ; but the other
IS underneath the grave , where do inhabit
The sha d ows of a l l forms that think and live
S CE NE I . P RO MET HEU S U NB O UND .

29

Till death u nite them an d they part no more

D reams an d the ligh t imaginings Of men ,

And all that faith creates or love desires ,

Terrible strange sublime

, , an d beauteous shapes .

There thou a r t, and d ost hang a writhing shade , ,

M id whirlwind
’
-
peopled mountains ; all the god s
Are there and all the powers of n ameless worlds
, ,

V ast ,
sceptred phantoms ; heroes men and beasts
, , ;

And D emogor g on a tremendous gloom ; ,

An d he the supreme Tyrant on his throne

, ,

Of burning gold . S on , one of these S hall utter

The curse which all remember . C all at wil l
Thine o wn ghost or the ghost of Jupiter
, ,

Hades or Typhon or what mi g htier Gods ,

From all -

p ro l ifi c E vil ,
s ince thy rui n
H ave S prung and trampled on my prostrate sons
,
.

Ask and they must reply

,
so th e revenge
Of the S u preme may s weep thro vacant sh ades ’
,

’
As rainy wind thro the abandoned gate
Of a fallen p alace .

P RO M other let not a u ght

.
,

Of that which may be evil pass again ,

M y l ips ,
or t hose of aught resembling me .

Phantasm of Jupiter arise appear ! , ,

 P RO ME T HEU S UN B O UN D . A CT I .

IO N E .

M y wings are folded o er mine ears ’

M y wings are crossed o er mine eyes ’

’
Yet thro their sil ver shade appears ,

’
An d thro their l ulling plumes arise ,

A Shape a throng of sounds

,

M ay it be no ill to thee
O thou of many wounds
N e ar whom for our sweet sister s
,
’
sake ,

E er thus we watch and wake

v .

PAN TH EA .

The sound is of whirlw ind underground ,

E arthquake ,
and fire and mountains cloven
,

The shape is awful like the sound ,

C lothed in d ark purple star i nwoven

,
-
.

A sceptre of p ale gold

’
To stay steps proud o er the slow clo u d
,

H is veined hand doth hold .

Cr u el he looks but cal m and strong

, ,

Like one who does not wrong

'

s u fler s
‘

.
,

PH AN TAS M OF J U PIT ER . Why ~

have t b e secret
powers of this strange world
S C ENE I .
P RO MET HEU S U N B O UND .
31

D riven me a frail and empty phantom hither

,
,

On direst storms What unaccustomed sounds

Are hovering on my lips unli k e the voice ,

With which our p allid race hold ghastly talk

?
In darkness ? And proud s u fferer , ,
who art thou
P RO Tremendous Im ag e as thou a rt must be
. ,

H e whom thou h d w t forth I am his foe s a o es . ,

The Tit a n Speak the words which I woul d he ar

. ,

Although no thought inform thine empty voice .

TH E EAR T H . Listen ! And tho your echoes must’

be mute ,

Grey mountains and old woods and haunted S pri ngs , , ,

P rophetic caves and isle surrounding str e a ms ,

-

R ej oice to hear what yet ye cannot speak .

PHAN . . A spiri t seizes m e and speaks within

It tears me as fire te ars a thunder clou d -
.

P A N S ee .
,
ho w h e li fts his mighty looks ,
the
II e a v e n

D arkens above .

ION E . He S peaks ! O shelter me

PR O . I see the curse on gestures proud and co l d ,

And looks of firm defiance and calm hate , ,

And such despair as mocks itself with smiles ,

Written as on a scroll yet speak : Oh ,

spe a k !
32 P RO MET HEU S U NB O UND . A CT I .

P H AN T A S M
'

Fiend I defy thee ! with a calm fixed mind

, , ,

All that tho u canst inflict I bid thee do ;

Foul Tyrant both of Gods and H uma n kind ; -

One only being shalt th ou not sub d u e .

R ain the n thy plagues upon me here ,

Ghastly disease and frenzying fear ;

,

And let alternate frost and fire

E at into me ,
and b e thine ire
Lightning and cutting hail and legioned forms
, ,

Of furies driving by upon the wounding storms

,
.

Aye d o thy worst

, . Thou art omnipotent .

’
O er all things but thyself I gave thee power ,

And my o wn will . B e thy swift mischie fs sent

To blast mankind from , y ou ethereal tower .

Let thy malignant S pirit move

In darkness O ver those I lo ve
On me and mine I imprecate
The utmost tortu re of thy hate ;
And thus devote to sleepless agony ,

This undeclining head while thou must reign on hi g h .

S CENE I
. P R O MET HEU S U N BOU ND .
33 ;

B ut thou who art the God and Lord :

,
‘

, thou
0 ,

Wh o fil l e s t with thy s ou l thi s ~

wo r l d i o f woe ,

To whom all things of E arth and H eaven do bow

In fear an d worship : all prevailing foe -

’
I curse thee let a su fferer s curse
C lasp thee his torturer lik e r emorse ;
’

, ,

’
Till thine Infinity shall b e
A robe of envenom ed agony ; ’ ‘

And thine O mnipotence a crown of p ain ,

To cling l ike burning gold round thy dis s olving brain .

H eap on thy soul ,

by virtue of this C urse ,

Ill deeds then be th ou damned beholding good ;

, ,

B oth infinite as is the -

u niverse ,

An d thou an d thy self torturing solitude

,
-
.

An awful image of Calm po wer

Though now thou sittest let the hour ,

C ome ,
when thou mu st appear to be
That which thou art intern ally .

And after many a false and fruitless crime

’
S corn track thv lagging fall thro bo u ndless space and
time .

PRO . Were these my words ,

0, P arent ?
,
3 4 P R O M E T H EU S U NB O UND . A CT I .

THE EAR TH . They were thine .

PR O .
It doth repent me : words are quick and vain ;
Grief for awhile is blind and so w a s mine , .

I W ish no l i vi ng thing to su ffer pain .

THE EA RT H .

M isery ,
Oh misery to me ,

That Jove at le n gth S hould v anquish thee .

Wail, hOwl aloud La nd and Sea , ,

The E arth s rent heart shall

’
a nswer ye .

H owl , Spirits of the living and the de ad ,

Your refuge ,
your de fen ce lies fallen a nd
u i s he d
q .

F IR S T EC H O .

Lies fallen and vanquished !

S ECO N D EC H O .

Fallen an d vanquished

ION E .

Fe ar not :
’
tis but some passing S pasm ,

The Tit a n is unvanquished sti ll .

B ut see ,
where thro the azure cha sm
’

Of yon forked and snowy hill

36 P RO METHEU S UNB O UN D . A CT I .

ION E .

Are th ey now led from the thin de a d

‘

On n ew pangs to be fed ?

P A N The Titan looks a s ever firm not pro u d

.
, ,
.

F I R S T F U RY . Ha ! I s ce n t life !
S E C O N D F U R Y Let me but look into his eyes
.

T H IR D F U RY The hop e of torturing him smells like

.

a heap
Of corpses to a death bird after battle
,
- .

F IR S T F U RY . B arest thou d elay ,

0 H erald ! t ake
cheer ,
H ounds
Of H ell : what if the S on of M aia soon
Shou l d make US food and sport —
who can p l e a se long
The Omnipotent

M E R Back to your towers

. of iron ,

And gnash beside the streams of fire and wail

Your foodless teeth . Geryon arise ! , and Gorgon ,

C hima rae ,
and thou Sphinx subtlest of fiends ,

Who ministered H eaven s p oisoned wine

to T he b e S
,
’
,

Unn atural love , and more unn atural hate :

These sh all perform your task .

SC ENE I . P R O MET H EU S UNB O UND .
37

F I R S T F U RY . Oh mercy ! mercy
,
!

We die wi th our desire : drive us not back !

MER . C rouc h then in silence .

Awful Su fferer
To thee unwilling most u n willingly ,

’
I come by the grea t Father s will driven down
, ,

To execute a doom of n ew i e ve n g e
'
.

Alas ! I pity thee and hate myself ,

That I can do no more : aye fro m thy sigh t

Returning for a season heaven seems hell
, , ,

SO thy worn form pursues me night and day ,

Smiling reproach : Wise art tho u firm ,

an d good ,

B ut vainly wouldst stand forth alone i n strife

,

Against the Omnipotent ; as y ou clear lamps

That measure and divide the weary years
From which there is no refuge long ,
h ave ta u g ht
And long must teach . E ven now thy Torturer a rms
With the strange might of unimagined pains
T he powers who scheme slow a
g onies '
in H ell ,

And my commission is to lead the m here ,

Or what more subtle foul or savage fiends , ,

People the abyss and leave the m t o their t a sk

'

, .

B e it not so the re is a secret known

To thee an d to none else
, Of living things ,
38 P R O MET HE U S UN B O UND . A CT I .

Which may transfer the sceptre of wide H eaven ,

The fe ar l
of which perplexes the Supreme
C lothe it in words and bid it clasp his throne
,

In intercession ; bend thy soul in prayer ,

An d like a suppliant in some gorgeous fane , .

Let the will kneel within thy haughty heart

For benefits and meek submission tame
The fiercest and the mightiest .

P RO . E vil minds
C h ange good to their own nature I gave . all
H e has and in return he chains me here
Years ages night and day : whether the Sun
, ,

Spli t my parched Sk in or in
, themoony night
The C hrystal winged sno w cling
-
r Ou n d my hair
Whi lst my beloved race is trampled down
B y his thought executing ministers
-
.

’ ’
Such is the tyrants recompense : tis just
H e who is evi l can receive no goo d
A nd for a world bestowed or a friend lost , ,

H e can feel hate fear hame ; not gratitude

, ,
S

H e but requites me for his own mis d eed .

Kindness to such is keen r eproach which breaks ,

W ith bi tter stings the light sleep of R evenge .

Submission thou dost know I cannot try :

,
S CENE I . P RO M ET HEU S UNBO U N D .
39

For what submission but that fatal wor d ,

’
The death seal of mankin d s captivity
-

Like the Sicilian s h air suspended swor d ’

-
,

’
Which trembles o er his crown would he accept , ,

Or could I yield ? Which yet I will not yiel d .

Let others flatter C rime ,

where it sits thro n e d
In brief Omnipotence : secure are they
For Justice when triumphant will weep d own
, ,

Pity not punishment on her

, ,
o wn wrongs ,

T OO much avenged by those who err . I wait ,

Enduring thus ,
the retributive hour
Which since we S pak e is even nearer now .

B ut hark the hell hounds clamour fear del y

,
-
: a

B ehold H eaven lowers nder thy Father s frown u

’
.

M E R Oh that we might be spared I to inflic t

.
,

And thou to su ffer ! Once more answer me :

’ ?
Thou knowest not the period of Jove s p ower
P RO I know but this that it must come
.
, .

M ER . Alas
Thou canst no t count thy years to come Of pain ?
P RO . They last while Jove must reign : nor more ,

nor less
'

D o I desire or fear .

MER . Yet pause and plunge ,

4 P RO METH EU S UN B O U ND
'
‘

0 A CT t I
‘
. .

Into E ternity where recorded time,

-

E ven all that we imagine ,

age on age ,

Seems but a point and the reluctant mind ,

Flags w earily ‘

in its u n endi n g flight ,

Till it sink dizzy blind lost sh elterless

, , , ,

Perchance it has not n u mbered the slow years

Which thou must S pend in to r tu r e ,
'

u nre
p r i e ve d

P RO Perchanc e no thought
. C an Count them yet,

they pass .

MER . If
.
’
thou might st dwell among the Go d s the
w hile
Lapped in volupt u ous j oy ?

P RO ; I would not qui t

This bleak ravine these unrepentan t p ains ,
.

MER . Alas ! I '

wonder at yet pity thee ,
.

PRO . Pity the self d e s p I S In g slaves of -

H eaven ,

N ot me ,
within whose mind S its peace serene ,

As ligh t in the sun throned : ,

ho w o
v ai n is tal k !
C all up the fiends .

I O N E O sister look ! White fire

.
, ,

H as cloven to the roots yon huge now load ed cedar

. s -

H ow fe arf lly God s thunder howls behind

u
’

M E R I m ust obey his words and thine alas

‘
.
'
f

M ost heavily remorse h g t my heart ! an

'

S a
S CENE I . P RO MET HEU S . UN B O UND .
4
1

P A N See where the child of

.
'
H eaven , with winged
feet ,

R uns down the Slanted sunlight of the dawn .

ION E . D ear sister ,

Cl o s e thy
'
plumes o ver thine eye s
Le “thou behold an d die they come the y come
B lackening the birth of day with countless wi n gs ,

And hollow underne ath like death ,

.

'

F IR S T F U RY . Promethe u s !

S E C O N D F U RY Imm ortal Titan . !

T H IR D F U RY C hampion of H eaven s slaves !

.
’

P R O H e whom so m e dreadful voice in vokes is here

.
,

Prometheus the chained Titan , . H orrible forms ,

What and who are ye ? N ever yet there came

’
Phan tasms so foul thro monster -
te e mi n g H el l
F rom the all miscreative brain of Jove ;
—

Whilst I b e ho ld
, . s u ch execrable shap es ,

M ethinks I grow like what I contempl ate ,

And l augh and stare in loathsome sympathy .

F I R S T F U RY We are the ministers of pain

.
,
and fear
And disappointment ,
an d m i s tr u s t ,
and hate ,

And clinging crime and as lean dogs pursue

’
Thro wood and lake some stru ck and sobbing fawn ,

We track all things that weep and bleed , ,

an d live ;
When the great Ki ng betrays them to our will .
 P RO METHEU S UNB O U ND . A CT I .

PRO . Oh many fearful natures in one name ,

I kno w ye ; and these lakes and echoes k now

The d arkness and the clangour of your wings .

B ut why more hi d eous than your loathed selves

Gather ye up in legions from t he deep
S E C O N D F U RY We knew not th a t : Sisters rej oice
.
, ,

rej oice !
PR O . C an aught exult in its deformity
S E C O N D F U RY T he beauty of delight makes lovers
.

glad ,

Gazing on one another so are we .

As from the rose which the p ale priestess kneels

To gather for her festal crown of flowers
The aerial crimson falls flushin g h er cheek
, ,

’
S o from our victim s destined agony
The S hade which is our form invests us round ,

Else we are shapeless as our mother N ight .

P RO I laugh your power and his who sent you here

.
, ,

To lowest scorn . Pour forth the cup of p ain .

F IR S T F U RY Thou thinkest we will ren d thee bone

.

from bone ,

And nerve from nerve working like ,

fir e within
is my element as hate is thine ;
,

Ye rend me no w I care not

4
4 P RO ME THE U S UNB O UND . A CT I .

Oh ye who shake hills with the scream of yo u r mirth

, ,

When cities sink ho whn g In rum and ye

Wh o w ith W ingless footsteps trample the s e a,

’
And close upon Shipwreck an d Famine s track ,

Sit chattering wit h jo y ,

on the foodless wreck ;
C ome , c ome come ,
!
’

Leave the bed ,

l o w, cold and red
, ,

Strewed b eneath a nation dead ;

Leave the hatred as in ashes ,

Fire is left for future burning

It will burst in bloodier flashes
When ye stir it soon r eturning ,

Leave the self contempt implanted

-

In young S pirits sense enchanted,

-

M isery s yet unkindled fuel

’

Leave H ell s secrets half unchanted

’

To the maniac dreamer ; cruel

M ore than ye can be with h ate
Is he with fear .

C ome ,
come come ,

We are steaming up from H ell s wide gate

-

,
’

And we burthen the blasts of the atmosphere ,

B ut vainly we toil till ye come here .

S CENE I . P R O MET HEU S U NB O UND .
4
5

I O N E Sister I hear the thunder of

.
,
n ew wings .

P A N These solid mou ntains qui ver with the sound

.

E ven as the t re mul o u S ‘

ai r : their S hadows make

The space within my plumes more black than night .

F IR S T F U RY .

Your call was as a winged car

D riven on whirlwinds fast an d far
It rapt us from red gulphs of war .

S E C O N D F U RY .

From wide cities famine was ted ; ,

T H I R D F U RY .

Groans half he a rd and blood untasted ; ,

F O U R T H FU RY .

Kin gly conclaves stern and cold ;

' ‘

Where blood with gold is bo u ght and sold

F IF TH F U RY .

Fro m the furn ace ; white an d hot

‘

In which
 P RO ME T HE U S UN B O UND . A CT I .

A F URY
. .

Speak not : whisper not

I kno w all that ye would tell ,

B ut to spe ak might break the S pell

Which must bend the Invincible ,

The stern of thought

H e yet defies the deepest power of H ell .

F U RY .

Te ar the veil

AN O T H E R F U RY .

It is torn
!

C H OR U S .

The pale stars of the mo m

Shine on a misery dire to, be borne .

D ost thou faint m i ghty Tit a n

,
? We l au gh thee to
sco rn .

’
D ost thou boast the clear knowledge thou wak e n d s t for
man
Then was kindled wi thin him a thirst which outran
Those perishing w aters a thirst of fi erce feve r ,
S C ENE I . P RO MET HEU S UNB O UN D .

4
7

H Op e , love ,
doubt desire , ,
which consume him
ever .

'

One ca me fo r th of gentl e worth

Smiling on the sanguine e arth
H is words outlived him ,
like swi ft poison
Withering up truth peace , ,
and pity .

Look where round the wide horizon

M any a million peopled city -

V omits smoke in the bright air .

Mark that outcry of despair !

’
Tis his mild and gentle ghost
Wail ing for the fa ith he kindled
Look a gain the fl ames ,
al most
’
To a glow worm s -
[u p have dwindled
The s u rvivors round the embers
G ather in dre a d .

Joy , jo
y ,
j oy !

P ast ages cro wd on thee but ,

e ach one remembers ,

And the future is d a rk

and the present is spread
,

Li ke a pillow of thorns for thy lumberless he a d S .

S EM I C H OR U S I .

D rops of bloody agony flow

F rom his wh i te and quiver in g bro w .
4
8 P RO MET HEU S UN B O UN D . A CT II .

Gra nt a little respite now

See a disenchanted nation

Springs like day from des olation
To truth its state is dedica te ,
And Freedom leads it forth her mate ,

A legioned ban d of linked brothers

Whom Love calls children

S EM I C H OR U S II .

’
Tis anoth e r s ’

S ee ho w kindred murder kin :

’
Tis the vintage time for death and
-
S In

B lood ,
like new wine bubbl e s within :
,

’
Till D espair smothers
T he struggling jivo r l d which slaves and tyrantswin
, .

[ A l l the F U RI E S v a n i s h, ex ce
p t o ne .

ION E . Hark ,
sister what a l o w yet dreadful gro an
Q uite unsuppressed is te aring up the heart
Of the goo d Titan as storms tear the deep
, ,

And beasts hear the sea moan In inland caves .

B arest thou observe ho w the fiends torture him ?

P A N Alas
. I looked i twice
fo r tl , but will no more .

I O N E What didst tho u see ?

.
SC E NE I . PR OMET HE US UN B O UN D .
4
9

PAN A wo fu l sight a youth

'
“
.

With p atient looks nailed to a crucifix .

I O N E What . be s t ?

P A N The heaven aroun d the earth below

.
,

Was p eopled w i th thick shapes of hum an death ,

All horrib le and wrought by human hand s , ,

And some appe ared th e work of huma n hearts ,

For men were slowly kille d by frowns and smiles

And other sights too foul to S peak an d live
Were wan d e r i n g b y . Let us not tempt worse fear
B y looking forth those groans are grief e n o u gh .

F U R Y ; B ehold an emblem : th ose who d o endure

D eep wrongs for m an an d scorn and chains but h eap , , ,

Thousandfold torment on themselves an d hi m .

P RO R emit the a nguish of that lighted stare ;

.

C lose thos ewan lips ; let that thorn wounded bro w -

S tream not wi th blood it mingles with thy tears

Fix fix those tortured orbs in peace and d eath
, ,

S o thy sick throe s shake not that crucifix ,

SO those p ale fingers p l ay not w

i h thy gore
t .

O horrible
,
! Thy name I will not sp eak ,

It h ath b e c o me a curse I see I see

'

.
,

The wise the mild the l ofty and the just

‘

, , ,
.

Whom thy sl a ves hate for being like to the e ,

.
50 P R O MET H EU S U NB O U N D . AC T I .

S ome h unted by foul lies from the ir hear t s home ’

,

An early chosen late lamented h ome

-

,
-

As hooded ounces clin g to the d riven hind

S ome linked to corpses in unwhole so me cells
S ome —
H ear I not the multitu de la u gh lou d ?

Impaled in lingering fire and mighty realm s

Float by my feet lik e sea uprooted isles
,
-
,

Whose sons are kneaded d o wn in common bl ood

By the red light of their o wn burning h omes .

F U RY . B lood thou canst see ,

an d fire and canst
hear groans
Wors e things unheard unseen remain b ehin d
, , , .

P RO . Worse 7

F U RY In each human h art terror survives

. e

T he ruin it has gorged : th e loftiest fear

All that they would dis d ain to think were true
H yp ocrisy and custom make their mind s
The fanes of many a worship , no w outworn .

’
They d are not devise good for man s estate ,

And yet they kno w not that they do not d are .

The good want power but to wee p barren te ars

, .

The p owerful goodness want : worse need for them .

The wise want love and those who love want wisdo m
And all best thin g s are thus confus ed to ill .
52 PR O M E I HE U S
‘

UN B O U N D . A CT I .

The nations thronged around an d cried aloud ,

.
,

As with one v oice Truth liberty and love ! , , ,

S u d d e n ly fi e r c e confusion fell fro m heaven

Among them : there w as strife deceit and fear
, ,

Tyrants rushed in and d id divid e the S p oil

,
.

This was the S hado w of the truth I s a w.

THE EAR T H . I felt thy torture , son ,

with such
mixed jo y
As pain and virtue gi ve . To Ch eer thy state
I hi d ascend those subtle and fair S pirits ,

Whose homes are the dim cave s of human thought ,

’

And who inhabit as bi rds wing the wind , ,

Its wor l d surroun ding ether

-
they behold
B eyond that twili gh t realm as in a glass , ,

The future may they speak comfort to thee !

P A N Look sister where a tr 0 0 p of spirits gather
.
, , ,

’
Like fl ocks of cloud s in spring s delightful weather ,

Thronging in the blue air

I O N E And see
. more come ,

Like fountain vapo urs when the winds are dumb

-

Th a t clim b up the ravine in scattered lines .

And hark ? is it the music

,
Of the pines ?
Is it the lake Is it the waterfall ?
PAN
’
. Tis something sadder sweeter far than all , .
 S CE E I
N . P R O MET HEU S U N B O UN D .
53

C H OR U S OF S P I RI T S .

From unrememb ered ages we

G e ntle guides and g uardians b e

Of he a ve n ~
O
pp re s s e d mor tality ;

And breathe and Sicken

'

we ,
no t,

The atmosph ere of human tho u ght

B e it d i d) , an d dank and grey , ,

Like a storm extinguish e d day -

T ravelle d
’
o er by d ying gleams ;
B e it bright as all between
C loudless skies an d windless streams ,

Sil ent ,
l i q uid , and s e rene ;
As the birds within the w
i d n ,

As the fish wit hin th e w ave ,

’
AS the thoughts of m an s o wn mind
’
Float thro all above the grave
IV e make these our liquid lai r ,

V oyaging cloudlike and unpent

’
Thro the b oundless element
Thence we bear the prop hec y
W hich begins and ends in thee l

IO N E . M ore yet come one by one , : the arou n d

them
Looks radiant as the aIr around a star .
 P R O METH EU S UN B O U ND . A CT . I .

F I R S T S P I RI T .

O n a b a ttle trumpet s blast

-
’

I fled hither fast fast fast

, , , ,

M id the
’
darkness up ward c ast .

From the dust of creeds outworn ,

’
From the tyrant s b an n er torn ,

’
Gathering round me onward b or n e , ,

There was mingled many a cry

Freedom ! H op e ! ’
D eath ! V ictor y !

’
Till they faded thro the sky
And one sound above around , , ,

O ne sound beneath aro u nd above , , ,

’
Was moving ; twas th e soul of love .
;
’
Twas the hop e the prophecy , ,

Which begins and end s in the e .

S E C O N D S P I RI T .

’
A rainbow s arch stood on the sea ,

Which rock ed beneath immoveably ,

And the triu mph ant storm did flee ,

Like a conqueror swift and prou d , ,

B etween with many a captive cloud

A shapeless dark and rapi d crowd
, ,

E ach by lightning ri ven in half :

I he ard the thund er h oarsely laugh
S CENE P RO MET H EU S U N B O U N D .

M ighty fleets were strewn like cha ff

And spread b eneath a bell of de ath '

’
O er the white waters . I alit
O n a great ship lightning S plit -

And speeded hith er on the s i gh

O f one who g a ve an enem y
’

H is pl ank ,
then p lung e d a s i d e to d ie .

T H I R D S P I RI T .

"
’
I sate beside a S age s bed ‘

And the l amp was burning red

N ear th e book where he had fe d ,

When a D ream with plu mes of fl ame ,

To his pillo w hoverin g came ,

And I knew it was the same

Which had kindled long ago
Pity eloquen ce and
, ,
wo e ;

And the world awhile belo w

Wo r e the shade its lustre made ,
.

It has born me here as fl eet

’
As D esire s lightning feet
I must ride it b ack ere morrow ,

Or the sage will wake in sorrow .

56 P RO METH EU S UNB O UN D . A CT I .

F O U R T H S P I RI T .

O n a p oet s li ps I S lept
’

D reaming like a love adept -

In the sound his breathing kept ;

N or seeks nor finds he mortal blisses ,

B ut feeds on the aer i al kisses

’
Of S hapes that haunt thought s wildernes ses .

He will w
atch from d awn to gloom
The lake -
r e fl e c te d sun illume
The yello w be e s in the ivy bloom -

N or heed nor e what things th ey

se ,
be
B ut from these create he can
Forms more real than living man ,

N urslings of immortality
One of these awak ened me ,

An d I sped to succour thee .

IO N E .

’
B e ho l d s t thou not two shapes from the east and west
C ome , as two do ves to one belove d nest ,

Twin nurs lings of the all sustaining air -

O n swi ft still wings g lide down the atmosphere ?

’
And hark
,
their sweet s ad voices
,
tis d espair
M ingled with love and then dissol ved in s ound .
S CENE I . P R O METH EU S UN B O U ND .
57

PAN TH EA .

C anst tho u S peak sister ? all

, my z wo r d s are drowned .

ION E . Their beauty gi ves me voice . S ee how

fl oat
On th eir sustaining wings of skiey grain ,

Orange and azure d eepening i nto gold

’
Their soft smiles light the air li ke a star s fire .

C H OR U S OF S P I RI T S .

H ast thou beheld the form of Love ,

7

F I F TH S P I RI T .

As o ver wi d e domin i ons

’
I sped like some swift cloud that wings the wide air s
,

wild ernesses ,

That planet crested shape swept by on ligh tning brai d ed

- -

pinions ,

S cattering the liquid j oy of life from his ambrosial tresses

H is footst e ps paved the world with light ; bu t as I past
’
twas fading ,

And hollow R uin yawned behind : great sages bound

in m adness ,

And headless p atrio ts and p ale youths , who perished ,

u nu pbraiding ,
58 P R O MET H EU S U NB O U ND . A CT I .

Gleamed in the night . I wander ed o er ’

,
an th ou ; 0

King of sadness ,

Turned by thy smile the worst I saw to recollected

gladness .

S I ! T H S P I RI T .

A h, S ister Desolation is a delicate thing

It walks not on the earth it floats not on the air
, ,

B ut tre ads with silent footstep an d fans with silent ,

wing
T he tender hopes which i n t heir hearts the best an d
gentlest bear
Who soothe d to false rep ose by the fanning plumes above
,

A nd th e m usic stirring m otion of its soft and busy feet

-

D ream v i s i On s of a eri al j oy and call the monster Love

, , ,

An d wake and find the shadow Pain

, ,
as h e whom no w

we greet .

C H OR U S .

’ ’
Tho R uin now Lo ve s shadow be ,

F ollowing him destroyingly

, ,

’
O n D eath s whi te and winged ste ed ,
Which the fl e e te s t cannot flee ,

Trampling do wn both fl ower an d weed ,

60 P R O ME T HE U S U N B O U ND . A CT 1 .

O f m usic when ,
the i n s p i r e d
'

voice and lute

“
Languish ere yet the res ponses ar e mute
, ,

Whic h thro the deep a nd labyrinthine soul

’
,

’
Like echoes thro long caverns win d and roll ,
.

PRO . H o w fair these air born S hapes -

and yet I feel
M ost vain all hope but love ; and thou art far ,

Asia ! who when my b eing o v e r fl o we d ,

'

VVe r t like a golden ch alice to bright wine

Which else had sunk into the thirsty dust .

All things are still alas ! ho w heavily

This quiet morning we i ghs up on my heart
Tho I should dream I could even s l eep with grief
’

If slumber we r e d enied not . I woul d fain

B e what it is my d estiny to be ,

The saviour and the strength of suffering man ,

Or sink into t he original gulph of things :

There is no a
g o hy and no solace left ;
,

E arth can console H eaven can torment no more

,
.

P A N H ast thou forgotten one wh watches thee

. o

The cold d ark night and never sleeps but when ,

The shadow of thy pirit fal ls on her S ?

PRO . I said all hO p e was v ain but love tho u lovest .

P A N D eeply in truth
.
; bu t the eastern star looks
white ,
S CENE I . P RO MET HEU S U N B O UND .
‘

61

A nd Asia waits in that far Indian vale

The scene of her sad e x ile ; rugged once
And desolate and frozen like this ravine
,

B ut now invested with fair fl owers and herbs ,

And haunted by sweet airs and sounds which , flo w

Among the woo d s and waters from the ether

,

O f her transforming presence which would fad e ,

If it were mingl ed not with thine . Farewel l

END OF THE F IRS T A CT .

62 P RO ME TH EU S U N B O UN D . ACT I I .

A CT I I .

S CE N E I .

M O RN I N G . A L O V E LY VA L E I N TH E I N D I A N C A UCA SU S . AS IA
A LON E .

A S I A From a l l the blasts of heaven thou hast

.

descended
Yes like a spirit like a thought which makes
, , ,

U n wonted tears throng to the horny eyes ,

And beatings h aunt the d es olated heart ,

‘V hi c h should h ave learnt repose : thou hast d escended

C radled in tempests thou d ost wake O Spring
,

0 child of many winds As suddenly

Th ou comest as th e memory of a dream ,

Which now is sad because it hath been sweet ;

Like genius ,
or like j oy which riseth up
As from the earth clothin g with golden clo u d s
,

The d esert of our life .

S C E N E /I . P R O MET H EU S U N BO U N D .
63

This is the season this the day the hour ;

, ,

At sunrise thou S houldst come sweet sister mine , ,

TOO long desired too long delaying come

, ,

How like death -

worms the W ingless mom ents crawl
The point of one white star is quiver ing still
D eep in the orange light of widening morn
B eyond the p urple mountains ’
thro a chasm
O f wind divided mist the
-
d ar k e r l ak e f

R efl ects it : now it wanes it gleams again

As the waves fade and as the burning threads
,
.

O f woven clou d unravel in p ale air

’ ’
Tis lost ! and thro yon p eaks of cloudlike snow
The rose a te sun light quivers
-
hear I not
The E oli a n music of her sea green plumes -
.

Winnowing the crimson dawn ?

P A N T H E A E N T E RS .

I feel I , S ee

’
Those eyes which burn thro smiles that fade in te ars ,

Lik e stars hal f quenched in m i sts of silve r de w .

B eloved an d mos t beautiful , wh o w e ar e s t

T he shad o w of th at so ul by which I live ,

How late tho u art he S phered sun had climbed

t

The sea ; my heart was sick with hop e before ,

The pri n tl ess air felt thy belated plu mes .

64 PRO MET H EU S UN B O U ND . A CT I I .

P A N Pardon great S ister

.
,
b u t my wings were faint
Wit h the d elight of a re membered dream ,

As are the noon tide plumes of summer winds

-

S atiate with sweet flowers . I was wont to sleep

Peacefully and awake refreshed an d calm
,

B efore the sacred Titan s fall an d thy ’

,

U nhappy lo ve ,
had made thro use and pity ,
’
,

B oth love and wo e familiar to my heart

As they had grown to thine : erewhile I sl e p t

Under the glau cous caverns of ol d O cean
Withi n dim b owers of green and p urple moss ,

’
O ur yo u ng Ione s soft an d milky arms
Locked then as ,
n o w, b ehind my d ark moist hair , ,

While my shut eyes and cheek were pressed within

The folded depth of her life breathing bosom : -

B ut not as n o w, since I am made the wind

Which fails beneath the music that I h e ar

Of thy most wordless converse ; since dissolved

Into the sense with which love talks my rest ,

Was troubled and sweet ; my wak i n g hours

'

et
y
To o full of care and p ain .

AS I A . Lift up thine eyes ,

And let me read thy dream .

PA N .
As I have sai d
With our sea sis ter a t -
hi s fe e t I S lept .
S CENE I . P RO ME T HEU S U NBO U ND .

'
The mountain m ists ,
c o n d e n s i n g at our voice
Under the moon ,
had S pread the ir snowy fl akes ,

From the keen ice s hielding o ur linked sleep .

Then two dreams came . One I remember not

,
,

B ut in the other his pale wo u nd wor n limbs —

Fell from Prometheus and the azure night ,

Grew ra diant with the glory of that for m

Which lives unchanged within and his voice fell ,

Like music which makes giddy the dim brain ,

Faint with intoxication of keen j oy

S ister of her whose footsteps p ave the world
.

With loveliness —
more fair than aught bu t her ,

Whose shadow tho u art —

lift thi n e eyes on me .

I lifted them the overp owering light

Of that immort al Shap e was sh adowed o er ’

B y love which fro m his soft and flowing limbs

, ,

And passion parted lips and keen faint eyes

-

, , ,

Stea med forth like vaporous fire ; an atmosphere

Which wrap t me in its all dissolving power -

AS the warm ether of the m orning sun

Wra p s ere it drinks some cloud of wandering dew ,

I s aw not heard not mo ved not , o n l v felt

, ,

H is presence fl w and mingle thro my

o
’
blood
Til l i t b ecame hi life and his grew m
s , In e ,
66 P RO M E T HEU S UN B O UND . A C T II .

And I w a s thus ’
ab s or B d , until i t p ast ,

And like the vap ours when th e sun sinks down ,

Gathering again in drops u pon the p In e s ,

And tremu lous as they in the d eep n ight ,

M y being was co n densed and as the r ays o

Of thought were slowly gathered I , co u ld hear

H is voice whose accents lingered ere they died
,

Like footsteps of weak melo d y thy name

Among the many s o u n d s alone I heard
’
O f what might be articulate tho still
I listened through the night when sound was none .

Ione wakened then and said to me ,

C anst thou divine what troubles me to night ?

I always knew what I d esired b efore

'

N or ever found delight to wish in vain .

B ut now I c an n o t gte l l thee what I seek ;

I kno w not ; s ome thing sweet ,
S ince it is sweet
E ven to desire it is thy sport false sister ;
,

Thou hast discovered some enchantment Ol d ,

Whose sp ells h ave stolen my S piri t as I slept

A nd mingle d it w ith thine for when just n o w
'

We kissed I felt within

,
th y p ar t e d lips
The swee t air that sustained me and the warmth ,

Of the life blood for loss

-

,
Of which I faint ,

Q
!
uivered between our intertwining arms .
68 P R O ME T HEU S U NB O U N D . A CT II .

’
Is wil d and quick yet tis a thing of air ,

’
For thro its grey robe gleams the golden dew
’
Whose stars the noon has q u e n ch d not .

D R EA M .

Follow Follow

P A N It is mi ne other dream
. .

A S I A It dis appears
. .

P A N It passes
. n ow into my mind . M ethought
As we sate here the flower infol ding buds
,
-

B urst on y ou ligh tning blasted almond tree

- -

When swift from the white S cythian wilderness

A wind swept forth wrin k ling the E arth with frost
I looked and all the blossoms were blown down ;
,

B ut on h l f was stampe d as the blue bells

e ac ea ,

Of H yacinth tell Apollo s written grief ’

,

O FOL LO W FOL LOW !

, ,

A S IA As you speak your words

.
,

Fill p aus e by p ause my

, ,
o wn forgotten sleep
With S hap es . M ethought among the lawns together
We w a ndere d ,
u nderneath the young grey d awn ,

And multitudes of dense white fl e e cy cloud s

Were wandering in th i ck flocks al o n
g th
'

e mountains
S cE NE I . PRO M E T HEU S U NB O UND .
69

S hepher d ed by the S low unwilling wind , ;

And the white d e w on the n e w bladed grass ,

J u st piercing the dark earth hung S ilently ; ,

And there was m ore which I remember not

B ut on the shadows of the morning clouds ,

Ath wart the purple mountain slope , wa s written

F OL LOW O , ,
FO L LOW As they Vanished by ,

And on each herb from which ,

H e
’
ave n s dew had fallen ,

The like was sta mped as with a withering fire

, ,

A win d arose among the pines it S ho

gk

The clinging music from their boughs and then ,

L o w, s weet fai n t sounds like th e farewell of ghosts

, , ,

Were heard : OH, FOL LOW FOL LOW FO L LOW , ,

And the n I sai d Panthea look on me , .

B ut in the depth of those beloved eyes

S till I w FOL LO W FO LLOW
sa , ,
'

EC H O .

Follow follow ,

P A N The crags this clear spring morning mock

.
, ,

our voices
As they were S piri tongued t
-
.

AS I A .
‘

It is some b eing
Around the crags . What fine clear soun d s ! O ,
70 P RO M E T HEU S UNB O U ND . A CT

E HO ES
C , U N S EEN .

E choes we : listen !
We c annot stay
AS dew stars glisten
-

Then fade away

C hild of Ocean !

A S IA . H ark Spirits S peak . The liquid response s

Of their aerial tongues yet sound .

PAN . I hear .

EC H O E S .

0 ,
fo l low follo w, ,

As ou r voice r e c e d e th

’
Thro the caverns hollow ,

W here the forest spread eth

( M O R E D I S T A N T )
0 ,
follow follow ! ,

’
T hr o t he caverns hollow ,

AS the song fl oa ts thou pursue ,

Where the wil d bee never flew ,

’
Thro the noon tide d arkness deep-

B y the O dour breathing sleep

-

Of faint night fl owers and the waves ,

At the fountain lighted caves -

,
S CE NE I
.
P RO MET H E U S UNB O UN D .
71

While our music ,

wild and sweet ,

M ocks thy gently f lling feet a ,

C hild of O cean !

A S IA Sh all we pursue th e sound

.
?
It grows more
faint
A nd distant .

Lis t ! the strain fl oats nearer n o w.

E HO
C Es .

In the world unknown

S leeps a voice unspok e n ;
B y thy step alone
C an its rest be broken
C hild of O c an ! e

A S IA H o w the notes sink upon the ebb ing win d !

.

EC H O ES .

0 ,
follow follo w !
,

’
Thro the caverns hollow ,

As the song floats thou pursue ,

B y the woodlan d noon tide d w -

e

B y th e forests l akes and fountains

, ,

’
Thro the man y folded mountains ;
-
72 P RO M ETHE US UN BO UN U . A CT II :

To the rents and gulphs and chasms , , ,

Where the E arth reposed from spasms ,

On the day when H e and thou

Parted to , co mml n g l e now;

C hild of Ocean

A S IA . C ome , swee t Pan thea , l ink thy han d in min e ,

And follow ere the voices fade a way

, .

S CE N E II .

A FO E S T I N T E R M I N G L D W I T H R O C S N C A E R N S A S IA D
R , E ! A D V . A N

P A N TH E A P A SS I N T O T w o Y O U N G F A U N S A R E S I TTI N G
Ir.

O N A RO C L I S T E N I N G
! , .

S E M I C H OR U S I . OF S P I RI T S .

The p ath thro which that lovely twain

’

H ave p ast ,
by cedar pine and , , y e w,

And each dark tree th at ever grew ,

Is curtained out fro m H eave n

’
s wide blue
N or sun nor moon nor wind
, rain , ,
no r ,

C an pierce its interwoven bowers ‘

N or g ht auwhere some l d f
,
’

s av e c ou
’

o d e w,

D ri ft ed along the earth -

cr e e
p ln
g breeze ,

B etween the trunks of the hoar trees ,

S CENE I I . P R O MET HEU S U NB O UND .
73

H angs each a pearl in the p ale flowers

Of the green laurel blown anew ; ,

And bends and then fades S ilently

, ,

One frail and fair anemone

Or wh e n some star of many a one
’
That climbs and wanders thro steep night ,

H as found the cleft thro which alone ’

B eams fall fro m high those d epths upon

E re it is borne away away , ,

By the swift H eavens that cannot stay ,

It scatters drops of golden light ,

’
Like lines of rain that ne er u nite
And the gloom divine is all around
A nd underneath is the mossy ground .

S EM I C H O RU S II .

There t he voluptuo u s n ighti n gal es ,

’
Are awake thro all the broad noon d ay ,

“h n one with bliss or sadnes

-

T
e s fails ,

’
And thro the windless ivy boughs -

Sick with sweet love droops dying away ,

On its mate s m u sic panting bosom

’
-

Another fr om the swinging blossom , ,

Watching to c atch the l an g uid close

4
7 P RO MET HEU S U N BO UND ACT II .

Of the last strain then lifts on high

,

The wings of the weak melody ,

’
Till some new strain of feeling bear
The song and all the woods are mute ;
,

’
When there is heard thro the dim air
The rush of wings and rising there,

Like many a lake surrounding flute -

’
Sounds overfl ow the listener s brain
So S weet that j oy is almost pain
, .

S E MI C H O R U S I
’

There thos e ench anted eddies play

O f echoes music tongued which draw
,
-
, ,

By D e mo g o r g o n
’
s mighty l aw,

With melting rapture or sweet , a we ,

All spirits on that secret way

As inl and boats are driven to Ocean

D own streams m a de strong with mount ain thaw -

And first there comes a gentle s ound

To those in talk or S lumber bound ,

And wakes th e destined soft emotion ,

Attracts impels them : those who saw

,

Say from the breathing earth behind

There steams a plume U plifting wind -
76 P RO METH EU S UN B O UN D . AC T 11 .

U nder the green and golden atmosphere

’
Which noon tide kindles thro the woven leaves ;
-

And when these burst and the thin fiery air , ,

The which they breathed within those lucent domes ,

’
Ascends to flo w like meteors thro the night ,

They ride on them and rein their headlong S peed

, ,

And bow their burni n g crests and glide in fire ,

Under the wat rs e of the earth again .

FI RS T FA U N . If s u ch live thus h ave others other ,

l i ves ,

U nder pink blossoms or within the bells

O f meadow fl owers or folded violets deep
, ,

O r on their dying odours when they die , ,

Or on the sunlight of the S phered dew ?

S E C O N D F A U N Aye many more which we may

.
,

well divine .

B u t, sho u ld we stay to sp e ak noontide would come , ,

And thwart Silen u s find his goats undrawn ,

And grudge to sing those wise and lovely songs

Of fate and chan ce and God
, , , an d C haos old ,

’
And Love and the C hained Titan s woful dooms
, ,

And how he shall be loosed and make th e earth ,

One brotherhood : d elightful strai ns which che er

O ur solitary twilights ,
an d Which ch arm
To silence the unenvying nightingales .
S C ENE III . P R O MET HEU S U N B O UN D .
77

S CENE III .

A PI N N A C L E or R O C A M O N G M O U N TA I N S
! . A S IA AND
P A N T HEA .

PAN H ither the sound has borne

. us— to the realm
Of D emogorgon and the m ighty p ortal
, ,

’
Like a volcano s meteor breathing chasm -
,

Whence the oracul ar vap our is hurled u

p
Which lonely men drink wandering in t heir youth ,

And call truth virtue lo ve genius or j oy

, , , , ,

‘
That maddening W i ne of life whose dregs the y drain ,

To deep intoxicatio n ; an d uplift ,

Like M ae nads who cry lou d ,

E voe Evoe
The voice which is contagion to the world .

A S I A Fit throne for such a Power !

. M agnificent
H o w glorious art thou ,
E arth ! A nd if thou b e
The shadow of s ome spirit lovelier still ,

Though evil stain its work an d it should be ,

Like its creation weak y et beautiful , ,

I coul d fall do wn and worship that an d thee .

E ven n ow my heart a d o r e th : W onderfu l

Look sister ere the vapour
, ,
di m thy brain
78 P RO M E T H E US UNB O UND . A CT I I .

B eneath is a wide plain of billowy mist ,

As a lake p aving in the morning

, Sk
y,
With azure waves which burst in silver light ,

S ome Indian vale . B ehold it ,

rolling on
Under the curdling winds and islanding ,

The peak whereon we stand midway around , , ,

E ncinctured by the d ark and blooming forests ,

D im twilight lawns and str e am illumined caves

-

,
-

And wind enchanted sh ap es of wandering mist ;

-

And far on high the k een sky cleavi n g mountains -

From icy spires of sun like radiance fling -

The d awn as lifted O cean s dazzling spr ay

,
’
,

From some Atlantic islet scattered up ,

Spangles the wind with l amp like water drops - -

.

The vale is girdled with their walls a ,

b o wl

Of cataracts from th eir thaw cloven ravines -

S atiates the listening wind continuous v ast , , ,

Awful as silence . H ark the rushing snow !

The sun awakene d avalanch e ! whose mass

-

Thrice S ifted by the storm had gathered there ,

Flake after flake in heaven defying minds

,
-

As thought by thought is piled til l some great truth ,

Is loosened and the nations echo r ound

, ,

S haken to their roots as d o the mo u ntains

, n ow .
S CENE I II . P RO ME T H E U S U N B O UND .
79

PA N . Look ho w the gusty sea of mist is breaking

In crimson foam even at our feet
,
it rises
AS Ocean at the enchantment of the moon
R ound foodless me n wrecked on some oozy isle .

A S IA The fragments of the clou d are scattered u p

. ;

The wind that lifts them disentwines my hair

’
Its billows now sweep o er mine eyes ; my brain
Grows dizzy I s ee thin shapes within the mist .

PA N . A countenance with beckoning smiles : there

burns
An azure fir e within its golden locks
Another and another : h ark ! they speak !

SON G OF S P I RI T S .

TO the deep to the deep

, ,

D own down ! ,

Thro u gh the shade of sleep ,

Through th e cloudy strife

Of D eath and of Life ;
Through the v eil an d the bar
Of things which seem and are
E ven to the steps of the remotest throne ,

D own down
,
 P R O ME T HEU S UN B O UND . AC T II
.

While the sound whirls around ,

D own down ! ,

AS the fawn draws the hound ,

As the lightning the vapour ,

As a weak moth the taper

D eath despair ; lo ve sorrow
, ,

Time both ; to day to morrow ; ,

As steel obeys the spirit of the stone ,

D own down , .

Through the grey void abysm , ,

D own ,
d own !

Where the a ir is no prism ,

And the mo o n an d stars are not

'

And the cavern crags wear not

-

The radiance H eaven

Of
’

N or the gloom to E arth given ,

Where there is one perv a ding ,

one
D own down ,

I n the d epth of the deep

'

D own down ! ,

Lik e veiled light n ing aslee p ,

 C
S E NE IV . P RO MET HEU S U NB O UN D .
81

Like the S p ark nursed in embers ,

The l ast look Love remembers ,

Like a di amond which shines ,

On the d ark wealth of mi n es ,

A spell is tr e as u r d
’
but for thee alone .

D own down ,

We h a ve bound thee , we guide thee ;

D own down ! ,

With the bright form beside thee

R esist not the weakn e ss ,

S u ch strength 18 In meekness
Th at the E ter al n ,
the Immortal ,

M ust unloose through life s port al ’

The snak e like D oom coiled un d erne ath

-
throne
B y that alone .

SC ENE IV .

TH E C m or D E MO GORG O N . AS IA A N D P A NT H E A .

P A N Wh at veile d form sits on th a t eb on throne ?

.

A S I A The veil h a s fallen

. .
82 P RO MET HE U S UNB O U ND . A C T II .

P A N I see a mighty d arkness

.

Filling the seat of power and rays of gloom ,

D a rt round as light fro m themeridian

, sun,

Ungazed u pon and shapeles s neither limb ,

N or form ,
no r outline yet w
efeel it is '

A l iving Spirit .

DEM . Ask what thou wouldst know .

A S IA What c anst thou tell

.
?

’
DEM . All things tho u dar st demand .

A S IA Who made the living worl d

.
7

D EM God . .

A S I A Who made all

.

That it contains ? though t reason will

, p as s ro n , , ,

Imagination
DE M . God Almighty God .

AS IA . Who made that Sens ewhi ch when the win d s ,

of spring
In rarest visitation or the v o ice ,

O f one beloved heard in youth alone ,

F ills the faint eyes with falling tears which dim

The r a diant looks Of unbewailing flowers ,

And le a ves this peopled e arth a sol itude

When it returns no more ?

D E M M erci
. ful God .
84 P RO METHEU S U NB O UN D . ACT II .

T he birthright of their being knowle d ge power , , ,

The skill which wiel d s the elements the thought ,

Which pierces this dim universe like light ,

Self empire and the m aj esty of love

-

, .

For thirst of which they fainted . Then Prometheus

Gave wisdom which is strength to Jupiter
, , ,

’
And with this l aw alone ,
Let man be free ,

C lothed him with the dominion of wide H eaven .

To kno w n o r faith nor love nor l aw , ,

to be
Omnipotent but friendl ess is to reign
And Jove now reigned for on the race of man
“
First famine and then toil and then disease
, , ,

Strife wounds and ghastly de ath u nseen before

, , ,

Fell an d the unse as onable seasons drove

With alternating shafts o f frost and fir e ,

Their sh e
lterless pale tribes to mount ain c a ves
,

And in their desert hearts fi e r Ce '

w ants he sent ,

And mad disquietudes and shadows idle ,

Of unreal good which levied mutual war , ,

SO ruin i ng the lair wherein they raged .

P rometheus saw and waked ,

the legioned hopes
Which sl eep within folde d E lysian flowers ,

N epenthe M oly Amaranth fadeless blooms

, , , ,

Th at they might hide with thin and r inb w wings a o

S CE NE
‘

Iv . P R O MET HEU S UNB O U ND .

85

The sh ape of D eath ; and Love he sent to bind

The disunited tendril s of that vine '

Which bears the wine of life the h u man hea rt ; ,

An d he tamed fire which like some beast of prey , ,

M ost terrible ,
but lovely played beneath
,

The frown of man ; and tortured to his will

Iron and go l d the slave s and sig n s f power
'

,
o ,

And gems and poisons and all subtlest forms ,

H idden beneath the mountains and the waves .

H e gave man speech , and speech created thought ,

Which is the measure of the universe ;

And S cience struck the thrones of earth and heaven ,

Which shook but fell not ,

a nd the harmonious mind
P oured itself forth in all p r ophetic song ; -

And music lifted up the listening spiri t

Until it walked ,
exempt from mortal c are ,
.

’ v

Godlike o er the,
cl e ar b i l l o ws of S weet sound ;
And human hands first mimicked and the n mocked ,

With moulded limbs more lovely than its o wn ,

Th e h u man form till marble grew di vine ;

,

And mothers gazing drank the love men see

, ,

Re flected in their r ace behold and perish , , .

H e told the hidden power of herbs and springs ,

And D i se ase dr an k and s l ept D e a th g ew lik e sleep . r .

86 P R O METHEU S UNB O UN D .
‘

ACT II .

H e taught the implicated orbits woven

Of the wide wandering stars
-
and ho wthe sun
C hanges his lair ,
an d by what secret sp ell
The pale moon Is tran sformed when her broad eye
,

Gazes not on the interlunar sea

H e ta u ght to r ule as life directs
,
the l i mb s ,
'

The tempest winged chariots of the Ocean

-
,

And the C elt knew the Indian C ities then .

Were built and through their snow like columns fl owed

,
-

The warm winds and the a z u r e as the r shone

'

, ,

And the blue sea and S hadowy hills were seen .

Such the allevi ations of his st a te

, ,

Prometheus gave to man for which he h angs ,

Withering in destined pain : but who reigns down

E vil the immedicable plague
, , which while ,

Man looks on his creation like a Go d

And sees that it is glorious drives ,
hi m on
The wreck of his o wn will the scorn of earth
, ,

?
The outcast the abandoned the alone
, ,

N ot Jove while yet IJ IS '

frown shook heaven , aye
when
H is adversary from adam antine chains
C ursed him he trembled like a slave
,
. D eclare
Who is his master ? Is he too a S lave ?
S CE NE Iv . PRO METHEU S UNB O UND .
87 ,

D EM Al l spirits are ensla ved which serve things

.

evil
Tho u knowest if Jupiter be su ch or no .

A S IA Whom . call ed st thou God ’ ?

DEM . I spo k e but a s ye speak

, ,

For Jove is the supreme of living things

, .

A S IA Who is the master of the s lave

.
?

D EM . If the abysm
B ut
’

C ould vomit forth its secrets . .

a v o i ce

Is wanting the deep truth is imageless ;

,

For wh a t wo irl d it av ail to bid thee gaze

On the revolving world .
? What to bid spe a k
Fate ,Time Occasion , , C hance and C hang e ? To these
All things are s ubj ect but e ternal Love .

A S IA S o much I asked before

.
,
an d my heart
i
g a ve
The response th o u hast given ; and of such truths
E ach to itself must be the oracle .

One more demand ; and do thou ans wer me

As my o wn soul would answer ,
did it know
That which I a sk . P rom etheus shall ari s e
H enceforth the sun of !
this rej oicing world
When shall the desti ned hour arrive 7 “

D EM . B ehol d ! ‘
88 P RO ME T HEU S UNB O U ND . A CT

A S IA The rocks
. ar e clov e n and through the purp le
,

night
I see c ars drawn by r ai nbow winged steeds -

Which trample the dim winds in ea ch there stand s

A wild eyed ch arioteer urgin g their flight
-
.

Some look behind as fien ds pursued the m there

, ,

And yet I see no s h apes but the keen stars

Others with burning eyes lean forth and dri nk
, , ,

With e ager lip s the wind of their o wn speed ,

As if the thing they loved fled on before ,

A nd no w, even now they clas ped it Their bri ght loc k s

, .

Stream like a co met s fl ashing h a ir : they all ’

'

Sweep onw ard .

DEM . These ar e the immort al H ours ,

Of whom tho u didst dem and . One wai tS for '

‘

the e .

A S IA A S pirit with a dre a dful counten ance

.

C hecks its d ark ch ariot by the cr aggy gul ph .

Unli ke thy brethren gh a stly ch arioteer , ,

Who art thou Whither wou l d t thou h

? me s e ar
? S pe ak !
S P IRI T I a m the sh a dow o f desti ny
.
a

M ore dread th an is my P t ere yon planet ’

aS ec

H a s set the d rkness which a cends with me

,
a s
S CE NE I V . P R O MET H E U S UNB O U ND .
89

PAN . Th at terrible shadow floats

Up from its throne as m ay the lurid smoke
,

Of e arthqu ake ruined cities o er the se a

-
’
.

LO it a scends the c ar ; the coursers fly

Terrified watch its p ath among the stars
Blackening the night
"
A S IA Thus I am answered str ange
.

P A N S ee ne ar the verge another ch ariot stays

.
, ,

An ivory s hell inlaid with crimson fire ,

Whi ch comes and goes within its sculptured ri m

Of delicate str ange tr a cery the young sp i rit
Th a t g uides it h a s the dove like eyes of hope ;
-

H o w i ts soft smiles attr a ct the soul as light

Lur es winged insects thr o the lampless a ir
’
.

S P IRI T .

M y coursers are fed with the lightning ,

They drink of the whirlwind s stre am ’

,

A nd when the red mornin g is b r i g htn in g

They b athe in the fresh sunbe am ;

They h a ve strength for their swiftness I d eem,

Then as cend with me , d aughter of Oce an .

90 PRO METHEUS U NB O UN D . ACT 11 .

I desire : and their speed makes night ki n dle

I fear : they o utstrip the Typhoon ;
Ere th e cloud piled on Atlas can dwindle
We encircle the earth and the moon :
We sh all rest from long labours at noon
Then a
s cend with me d aughter of Ocean
, .

S C ENE V .

TH E CA R PAUSES W ITHIN A CLOU D TH E T ? A

o n w OP 0 sno y

M O UN T A I N . A S IA PA NT HE A A N D TH E S P IRIT O F THE
, ,

H O UR .

S P I RI T .

On the brink of the night and the mo rning

My coursers are won t to respire
B ut the Earth has j ust whispered a warning
That their flight must be swifter than fire
They shal l drink the hot speed o
f d e s 1r e !

A S I A Thou
. b r e ath e s t on their nostr ils ,
bu t my

Would gi ve them swifter speed .

92 P R O M E TH E US UNB O U ND . A C T II .

And all th at dwells wi thin them ; till grief c ast

E clipse up o n the soul from which it came
S uc h art thou now ; nor is it I alone ,

Thy sister thy companion thine own chosen one

, , ,

B ut the whole world which seeks thy sympathy .

;
H earest thou not sounds i the air which speak the love
O f ll articulate beings
a F l t thou not ? e e es

The inanimate winds enamoured of thee List !

( Mus i c .

A S IA Thy words are sweeter than aught else but his

.

Whose echoes they are yet all love is sweet ,

Given or returned . C ommon as li ght is love ,

An d its familiar voice wearies not ever .

Like the wide heaven the all s u staining air

,
-
,

It makes the reptile equal to the God

They who inspi re it most a re fortunate ,

As I am n o w but those who feel it most

Are happier still ,
after long su fferi ngs ,

As I shall soon become .

P A N List !
. Spirits speak .

VOI C E IN THE A IR, SINGING .

Li fe of Life thy lips enkindle

Wi th the i r love the b reath between them ;
!
S CE NE V . PRO MET HEU S U NBOU ND .
93

An d th y smiles before they dwindle

M ake the cold air fi re ; then screen them
In those looks where ,
wh oso g a zes
F aints entangled
,
in -

thei r m a zes .

C hild of Light ! thy lips ar e bur ning

’
Thro the vest which seems to hide them
As the radiant lines of mornin g
’
Thro the clo uds ere they divide them ;
And this atmosphere divinest
’
Shrouds thee wheresoe er thou s hi n e s t .

F air a r e others none beholds thee ,

B ut thy voice sounds low and tender

'

Like the fairest , fo r i t folds thee

From the sight that liquid splendour
, ,

And all feel yet see thee never

, ,

As I feel n o w, lost for ever

L amp of E arth ! where er thou m t ’

o ve s

Its dim sh apes are clad with brightness

And the souls o f whom thou lovest
Walk upon the win d s with l i ghtn e s s h
 P R O MET HEU S U NB O UN D . A CT II .

Till they fail as I am faili ng

, ,

D izzy lost y et unb ewailing

’

!
, ,

A S IA ’
.

M y soul is an enchanted boat ,

Which like a sleeping swan doth floa t

, ,

Upon the silver wa es of thy sweet mgmg ;

v s

An d thine d o th lik e an angel sit

B eside the h el m d ti g i t c on uc n
‘

Whilst all the winds with me l o dy '

ar e ringin g
.

It s eems to float ever for ever

'

, ,

Upon that many winding river -

B e tween mou ntain s woods abysses '

, , ,

A paradise of wildernesses
Till like one in sl u mber bound
, ,

B orne to the ocean , I float do wn aro u nd , ,

Into a sea profound ,

of ever
M eanwhile thy spirit lifts its pinions
’
In music s most serene dominions ;
C atching the winds that fan that h appy he aven .

An d we sail on away afar , , ,

Without a course without a st a r

'

, ,

B ut ,
b y the i n s ti n ct
,
'
of sweet music driven ;
S CENE v . P R O METHEU S UNB O U ND .
95

Till through Elysian garden islets

B y thee ,
most beautiful of pilots ,

Where never mortal pinnace glided ,

The b oat of my desire is guided

R ealms where the air we bre a the is love ,

Which in the winds on the w a ves doth move ,

Harmonizing this e arth with what we feel above .

’ ’
We have p as s d Age s icy caves ,

And M anhood s d ark ’

and tossing waves ,

And Youth s s moo th ocean smiling to betray

’
,

B eyond the glassy gulphs we flee

Of sh a dow peopled Infancy -

Through D eath and B irth to a diviner day ; ,

A par a dise of vaulted bo wers ,

Lit b y do wnward g a zing fl owers

l

And watery p aths that wind b etween ‘

Wildernesses calm and green ,

P eopled by S hap e s too bright to s ee ,

And rest h aving beheld ; som ewhat li ke

,
'
the e ;

Which walk up on the S e a, and chaunt melo diously !

‘

E N D O F T HE S ECO N D A CT .
96 PR O ME TH E US UNB O U ND . A CT I II .

A CT I I I .

S CE N E ,
I .

HEA VE N. J U P IT ER O N T H R O N E ; T HETIS A N D T H E O T H E R
B IS

D E IT I E S A S S E M B L E D .

J U P YE congregated powers of heaven who sh are

.
,

The glory and the strength of him ye serve ,

R ej oice ! henceforth I am omnipotent .

All else had bee n subdued to me alone

The soul of man like an unex tinguished fire
, ,

Yet burns tow ards he a ven with fierce repro ach , and
dou b t ,

And l am entation and reluct ant pr ayer

, ,

H urling up insurrection , whic hmight m ake

O ur antique empire insec re though built u ,

On eldest faith d hell s coev a l fe a r ;

,
an
’
,

’ ’
And tho my curses thro the pendulous ai r ,

Like snow on herb less pe aks ,

fall flak e by flak e ,
SC ENE I . PR OM ETHE Us UN EQ UN D,

’ ’
And cling to it ; tho u n der; my wrath s might
It climb the crags of life step after step , ,

Which wound it as ice wounds unsandall ed fee t

, ,

’
It yet remains supreme o er misery ,

Aspiring unrepresse d yet soon to fall

, ,

E ven now h a ve I begotten a strange wonder ,

That fatal child the terror of the earth

, ,

Who waits but till the d istant hour arrive ,

B earing from D e mo g o r g o n
’
s vacant throne
The dreadful mi ght o f ever living limbs
-

Which clothed that awful spirit unbeheld ,

To redescend and ,
tr amp l e q
o ut the spark .

’
Pour forth heaven s wine , I d ae an Gr an y me d e ,
’
And let it fill the D aedal cups like fi r e ,

And from the flower inwoven soil divin e -

Ye all triumphant harmonies arise

-

As dew fro m earth und e r the twilight stars

D rink be the nectar circling thro your veins ’
‘

The soul of joy ye ever living Gods ,

-

Till exultation burst one wide voice in

Like music fro m Elysian winds .

And thou
As cen d besi d e me ve il ed , in the li ght
98 PRO METHEUS UNB O UN D . A CT

Of the de s ire whic h makes th ee one with me ,

Thetis bright image Of ete rnity

,
!

might !
’
When thou didst cry ,
I n s u fl er ab l e

God Spare me I sustain not the qu ick fl ames ,

T he penetrating presenc e all my being ,

L ik e him whom the N umidian seps did th aw

I nto a de w with poison is dissolved , ,

’
Sinking thro its foundations even the n
T wo mighty S pirits mingling made a third , ,

M ightier than either which unbodied n w , ,

o ,

B etwee us floats felt althou gh unbeheld

n , , ,

Waiting the incarnation whic h ascends , ,

( H ear ye the thunder of the fier y wheels

’
Griding the winds 2) from D e mo g or g on s throne .

V ictory ! victory F e e l s t thou not 0 world

’
, ,

The earthquake of h i s chariot thundering up

Olympus 7

[ The C ar o
f the HO U R a r ri ves N D E M O G O RG ON da a

s cends , a nd mov es towa r d s the l r onc o

f J U PI I ER
‘‘
.

Awful shap e what art th ou ,

-

,
2 .
~

Spe ak
D EM . E ternity . De man d no direr name .

D escend , an d follow me down th e aby ss .

’
I am thy chi ld as thou , we r ti s atur n s child ;
M ightier than thee : an d we m ust dwell together
100 PRO METHEU S U NB O UN D . A CT III .

And whelm on the m into the bottomless void

This desolated world and thee and me ‘

, , ,

The conqueror and the conquered , an d the wr eck

Of th a t for which they combated .

Ai ! Ai !

The elements obey me not . I sink

D izzily down ,
e ve r , . fo r ever ,
d own .

And like a cloud mine enemy above

, ,

D arkens my fall with victory ! Ai Ai ! ,

S CENE II .

TH E MO N T H OF A
RI E R TH E I S L A N D A T L A N TI S
G REAT V . IN
'

O CEA N DI S CO VE R E D R ECL I N I N G N E A R TH E S H O NE ;
Is
-

APOLLO S TA N D S H IM EESIDE .

O C EA N . H e fell ,
tho u s ayest beneath , hi s Conqu e
’ 7
r or s frown
A P OLLO Aye .
,
whe n the strife was ended which
m a de dim

The orb I rule and S hook the solid sta rs

, ,

illumined he a ven
'

The terrors of his e

y e

With s anguine light through the thick r agged skirts , ,

S CE NE II . PR OME TH EU S U NEO UND .
101 .

Of the victorious darkness as ,

he -
fell
Like the l ast gl are of day s red agony ’
,

Which from a r e n t amon g the fiery clouds

,
'

B urns far along th tem p est wrinkled deep e -

.

O C E A N H e sunk to the abyss To the d ark void

.
? ‘

A P OLLO An eagle so caught in ome bursting loud

. s c

On C aucasus his thunder b ffl d wi gs,

-
a e n

Entangled in the whirlwind and his eyes ,

Which ga z ed on the undazzling sun ,

n ow blinded
B y the white light ing whil n ,
e the p onderous hail
B ea ts on his struggling form ;
which si nks at -

length
P rone and the aerial ice clings over it
,
.

OC EA N . H enceforth the fields of H eaven -

r e fle cti n
g
sea
’
Which are my realm will heave , ,
u ns ta n i d with b l oo d !

B eneath the uplifting winds ,

like plains of corn
Swayed by the su mmer air my streams will flow

R ound many peopled continents an d ro u nd ,

Fortunate isles a nd from their glassy thrones

B lue Proteus and his humid nymphs shall m ark
The shadow of fair ships as mort l s see ,
a

The floating bark of the light laden moon

’
With that white star its si ghtless pilot s crest , ,
’

B orne down the rapid s u

’
nset s ebbing sea ;
102 PRO METH EU S UNB O UN D .
-
AC T III .

Tracking their path no more by blood and gro ans

'

And d esolation and the mingled voice

,
’

Of slavery and co mmand b ut by the light

Of wave -
r e flec te d flo wers an d floating odours
, ,

And mu sic s oft and mild free gentle voices

’

, , , ,

That sweetest music such as S pirits love

, .

A P OLLO And I shall gaze not on the deeds

.

mak e
My mind obscure with sorrow as eclipse ,

D arkens the sphere I gui de ; but list I hear

'

The sm all , clear silver lute of the young S pirit

,
.

That S its on the morning star .

OCEAN . Thou must away ;

Thy steeds will pause at even till when farewell ,

The loud deep calls me h ome even no w to fee d i t

With azure calm out of the emerald urns
Which stand for ever full beside my thron e .
’

B ehold the N ereids under the green sea ,

Their wavering limbs borne on the wi nd lik e stre am

-

Their white arms lifted o er their str eaming h air

’

With garlands pied and starry sea -

fl o we r cro w
ns ,

H astening to grace their mighty sist e

’
r s j oy .

( A so i md of waves is hea r d ) .
i 64 PRO MET HEU S A CT III .

’ '

Sweet to reme mber thro your lo ve , an d Car e

H enceforth wewi l l no t p art There a cave

'
'

. Is ,

’
All overgr o wn with trailing odorous plants
‘

Which curtain out the day with leaves and flowers ,

An d paved with veined emerald and a fountain ,

Leaps in the midst w ith an awakening sound .

’
From its curved roof the mo un tain s frozen tears
Like snow or silver , ,
Or l o ng dia mond Spi res ,

H ang downward d o u b tfu l l ig h t

, '

,
r ai n In
g forth a
An d there is heard the ever moving air -

Whispering witho u t from tree to tree and birds , ,

An d bees ; and all around are mossy seats ,

And the rough walls are clothed with long soft grass
A simple dwelling which shall be o ur ,
o wn

Where we talk of time and chan ge

will sit an d ,

As the world ebbs and flows oursel ves unchanged , .

What can hide man fro m mutabili ty ?

’
And if ye sigh then I will smile ; and thou
,

l one shalt chaunt frag men ts of sea music

,
-

U nti l I weep ,
when ye shall smile away
The tears she b rought wh ich yet were sweet to shed .

We will entangle buds an d flowers and beams

Which t w
inkle on the fountai n s brim an d ’
,
m
ak e

Str ange combinations out of common things ,

 C NE I II
S E . P RO MET H E U S U NB O UN D .

“
Like hum an babes in their brief innocence
And we will search with looks and words of love , ,

!
F or hidden thoughts each lovelier than the l a st , ,

O u r i u n e x hau s te d pirits an d like lutes

'

Touched by the skill of the enamoured wind ,

Weave harmonies di v i ne , y e t .
ever ne w,

From di fference s we e t whe re d iscord cannot be ;

'

And hither come sped on the charmed wi nds , ,

Which meet from all the p oints of heaven as bees ,

From every fl ower aerial Enna feeds ,

.

At their k nown island homes in H imera -

The echoes of the hu man wo r l d , which tell

Of the l o w voice of love almost unheard
’ ‘

, ,

And dove eyed pity s murmured p ain , and

-
’
m usic ,

Itself the echo of x tIIC heart and all ,

’
That tempers or improves man s life ,
now free ;
And l o v e l y ap p ar i ti o n s dim at first
'

,
‘

Then radiant as the min d arising bright

,
~

F rom the e mb r ac e 'o f h e au t

y w hence
,
th e forms

Of which these ar e the phantoms casts on them ,

The gathered rays which are reality ,

Shal l visit us ,
th e progeny immortal
Of Painting Sculpture and wrapt Poesy
, , ,

And arts tho uni m agine d yet to be

,
’
, .
106 P R O MET HEU S U NBOUND a . A CT III,
.

The wandering voices and the S had o ws . thes e

Of all that man becomes the mediators ,

Of th at best worship love by him and ,

us

Given an d retu rned ; S wift shapes and sounds whic h ,

grow
M ore fair and soft as man grows wise and k ind ,

And veil by veil evil and error fall ,

Such virtue has the cave and place around .

( Tu r n i ng to the S p i r i t f
o the f l ou r .

For thee fair Spirit one toil remains

, , . Ione ,

Give her that curv ed shell which P roteus old ,

M ade A sia s nuptial boon

’
,
breathing within it

A voice to be accomplished and which thou ,

D idst hide in grass under the hollow rock .

I O N E Thou most
. d e s ir e d g fl o u r, more loved and

lovely
Than all thy sisters this is the mystic s hell
,

See the pale az ure f ading into silve r

Lining it with a soft yet glowing light
Looks it not like lulled music sleeping there
S P IRI T It seems in truth the fairest shell of Ocean
.

Its sound must be at once b oth sweet and strange .

P RO Go borne over the cities of mankind

.
,

On whirlwi nd footed -
cou rsers once ag ain
 108 PRO METHEU S UNB O UN D .
A CT II I ,

The dew -
mists of my sunless sleep shall float
Under the stars like bal m: night folded flower -
s

Shall suck unwitting hues in their repose .

And men and beasts in h appy dreams shall gather

Strength for the coming day and all its j oy ,

A nd death s hall be the last e m brace of her

Who takes the life S he gave even as a mothe r ,

Folding her child says , ,

Leave me not again .

A S IA . Oh mother , ! wherefore speak the n ame of

death
C ease they to love and move and breathe ; and speak
, , ,

Wh die o
?

TH E EAR T H . It would avail no t to reply

Thou art immortal and this tongue is known ,

B ut to the u ncomm unicating d ead .

D eath is the veil which those who live call life

They sleep and it is lifted
, and meanwhile
In mild variety the seasons mild,

‘Vi th mai n b o w -
S kirted showers and odorou s winds , ,

And long bl u e meteors cleansing the dull night ,

And the life kindl i ng shafts of the keen sun s

-
’

All -
piercing b o w, and the de w -
mingled rain
Of the calm moonbeams a soft influence mild
, ,

S hal l c l o the .
the forests and the fi lds aye even
. e , ,
S CENE III . P R O ME TH EUS U NB OUN D .
109

The crag -
b u il t d e s ar ts
‘
of the b arren deep ,

With ever living leaves and fruits, and fl owers

-

,
.

And thou ! There is a cavern where my S pirit

Was panted forth in anguish whilst thy pain
M ade my he art mad ,
and those who did i nh ale it
B ecame mad too and built a temple there
, ,

And S po k e and , we r e l or acu l ar ,

and l ure d
The e rring n a tions round to mutu al war ,

And faithless fait h such a s Jove kept with thee ;

,

Which bre ath no w rises ,

as amo n gs t t all weeds
’
A Violet s exha lation and it fills ,

With a serener ligh t and crimson a ir

Intense yet soft the rocks and woods around
, ,

It feeds the quick growth of the serp ent vine ,

A nd the dark linke d ivy tangling wild ,

And budding blown or odour fa ded blooms

, ,
-

Which star the winds with points of col ou r ed light ,

’
As they rain thro them , an d bright golden globes
Of fruit suspended in their own green heaven
,
'

A nd thro
’
thei rveined leav e s a nd amber ste ms .

The flowers who s e p u r p l e and tr anslucid bo wls

St and ever marl tlin g with a erial d '

e w,

’
The drink of S pirits and it circles roun d ,

Li k e the soft waving wings of noonday dreams ,

110 PR OM E THE US U N BOUN D
'

.
ACT I n
-
.

Inspirin g c alm and happy thou ghts like mine , ,

No w
’

tho u art thus re sto red . This cave is thine .

Arise ! Appear !
’

[ A S i r i t r is es i n the l ik en es s
p f o . a wing ed chi ld .

Th i s Is my to r ch bearer ;
.
-

Who let his lamp out in old time with gazing

On eyes from which he kindled it anew
With love which , is as fire sweet d aughter
,
mine ,

For such is that within thine o wn .

R un wayward ,

And guide this company beyond the peak

Of B acchic Nysa , a ad -
hau n ted mountain ,

And beyond Indus and its tribute ri vers ,

Trampling the torrent streams and glassy lakes

With feet unwet ,
u nwearied ,
u ndelaying ,

And u
p the gree n ravine acros s the vale , ,

B eside th e wi ndless and crystalline pool ,

Where ever lies on un erasing waves

, ,

The imag e O f a temple , built abo ve ,

D istinct with column arch and architrave , , ,

And p alm like capital and over wrought

-

,
-
,

And populous mo st with l iving im agery ,

Prax i telean shapes whos e m ar ble s miles

,

Fil l the hushed air with everlasting love .

It is de se rted n o w, b ut once it b o re
112 PRO METHEU S U NB O U ND . A CT I I I . !

The populous constellations call that light

The loveliest of the p l anets and sometimes
It floats along the S pr a y of the salt sea
Or makes its chariot of a foggy cloud ,

Or walks thro fields or cities While

’
me n s l e e p ,
’
Or o er the mountain tops or down the rivers
!
~
, ,

’
Or thro the green waste wilderness as , n o w,

Wondering at all it sees . B e fo r e J o ve reigned

It loved our sister Asia an d it came ,

E ach leisure hour to drink the liquid light

Out of her eyes for whi ch it said it thirsted
,

As one bit by a dipsas and with her ,

It made its childish confidence and told her ,

All it h ad known or seen ,

fo r i t saw much ,

Yet idly reasoned what it saw and call ed her ,

For whence it sprung it kne w not nor do I , ,

M other ,
dear mother .

T H E S P IRI T OF THE EAR T H ( R UN N I N G T O A S IA ) !

.

M other; dearest mother ;

M ay I then talk with thee as I was wont
M ay I then hide m ’

y eyes in thy so ft ari s n ,

After thy looks h a ve made them tired of j oy

M ay I then play beside thee th long noons e ,

When work is no e in the b i g ht il t a ir

n r ‘
s en
?
S C ENE I V . P RO MET H EU S UNB O UN D .
113

A S IA I love thee gentlest being and henceforth

" ‘

.
, ,

Can cherish thee une nvied sp eak I pray ,

Thy s imple talk once solaced n Ow d el i ghts ,

.

SPIRIT O RT H E E A R T H M other .
, I am gr o wn wiser ,

though a child
C annot be wise like thee within thi s day
,

And happier too ; ,

hap pier and wiser both -
.

Thou knowest that to ads ,

and snakes , and lo athly
worms ,

And venomous and malicious b e asts and boughs ,

That bore ill berries in the woods were ever ,

An hi ndrance to my walks o er the ’

green wo rl d
An d that among the haunts of humankind
, ,

H ard -
featured men or with proud angry looks
, , ,

Or cold st a id gait or false a n d hollow

, ,
S miles ,

O r the dull sneer of self loved ignorance -

,

O r other s uch foul masks with which ill thoughts ,

H ide that fair being whom we S p i r i ts call man ;

An d women too ,
u gliest of all thing s evil ,

( Tho ’
fair eve n in a world where thou
,
art fai r ,

When good and kind free and S incere like thee ) , ,

When false or frowning made me sic k at he art

’
To p ass them tho they slept and I unseen
, , .

‘V ell , my p a th l a tely lay thro a gre a t city ’

114 PR O MET HEU S UNB O UN D . A CT III .

Into the w oo dy hills surrounding it

A sentinel was sleeping at th e g ate
When ther e was heard a sound so loud it shook , ,

The t owers a mid the moonlight yet more s weet ,

Than any voice but thine sweetest of all ,

A long long sound as it would never

, ,
en d

An d all the inhabitants leapt sud denly

Out of the i r rest ,
an d gathered in the streets ,

Look ing in wonder u

p to H eaven ,
while y et

The music p ealed alon g I hid myse l f .

Within a fountain in the public s quare ,

.

W he re I lay like the refle x of the moon

S een in a wave under green leaves ; and soon
Those ugly human shapes an d visages
Of which I sp oke as h aving wrought me p a in ,

’
Past fl oating thro the air and fading still ,

Into the winds that scattered them and those

Fro m whom they past seemed mi l d and lovely forms
A fter some foul disguise had fallen and all ,

Were somewhat changed , and after brief surprise

And greetings of delighted wonder all ,

Went to their sleep again : an d when the dawn

Came ,
’
wo u ld st thou think that toads ,
and s nakes ,

and efts ,
116 P RO M E THEU S U NB O U N D . A CT III .

S P IRI T OF THE EA R T H N ay .
,
mother; while my
sister trims her lamp
Tis hard I should go darkling
’
.

A S IA Li sten
.
; look !

The S P I RI T OF TH E HO U R en ter s .

PR O
‘
. We feel what th ou hast heard and seen yet
s p eak .

S P I RI T OF THE HO U R . S oon as the sound had

ceased whose thunder filled
The abysses of the sky and the wid e earth ,

There was a change the impalp ab l e thin air

An d the all circling sunlight were transformed
-
,

As if the s ense of love dissolved in them

H ad fol ded itself roun d th e phered world S .

M y vision then grew clear and I could e ,

S e

Into the mysteries of the universe

D izzy as with d elight I floated do w
n ,

Winnowing th e lightsome air with langu id plumes ,

M y coursers sought their birth place in -

the sun ,

Wh e re th e y henceforth will live exempt from toil

Pasturing flowers of vegetable fir e .

And where my moonlike car will stand within '

S CEN E I V . P RO MET HEU S U NB O U ND .
117

A temple gazed upon by Phidi an for ms

,

O f thee and Asia and the

, , E arth , and me ,

And you fair nymphs looking t he l o v e

'

we feel
In memory of the ti dings it has b orn e ;
B eneath a dome fretted with graven fl owers ,
Poised on twel v e columns of resplendent stone ,

And open to the bright and liquid sky .

Yoked to i t by an a mp hi s b e n i c snake
T he likeness of those wi n ged steeds will mock
The light from which they find rep ose !
. Alas ,

Whither h as w an d ered now my partial tongue

When all remains untold which ye would hear ?
’
As I have sai d I fl oated to the e arth
It was ,
as it is still , the p ai n of bliss
To move to breathe to b e
, ,
I wandering went
Among th e haunts and d wellings of mankin d ,

An d first was disappointed not to see

Such mighty change as I had felt within
E xpressed in outward things ; but s Oo n I looked ,

And behol d thrones were kingless and men walked

, ,

O n e with the other even as spirits do ,

N one fawned ,
n one trampled ; hate disdain or fear, , ,

S elf love or self contempt on human brows

- -
,

N o more inscribed , as o er the g ate of he ll

’
,
118 P R O MET HEU S U NB O UN D . A CT III .

All hope ab and on ye who enter here ;

N one frow n ed none trembled none with eager fear
, ,

’
Gazed on another s eye of cold command ,

U ntil the subj e t of a tyrant s will

c
‘
’

B eca me worse fate the abj ect of

, ,
his o wn ,

W hich S purred him like an outspent horse to d eath

, , .

N one wrought his lips in truth entangling lines

-

Which smiled the lie his tongu e di sdained to sp eak ;

N one with firm sneer t ro d out in his o wn heart
, ,

The sp arks of love and hope till there remained

Those bitter ashes ,
a s oul self consum ed -

An d the wretch crept a v ampir e among men ,

Infecting all with his o wn hideous ill

N one talke d that common ,
false cold , , hollow talk
Which makes the heart deny the y es it breathes ,

Yet question that unmeant hyp ocrisy

With such a self mistrust -
as has no name .

An d women too frank beau tiful and kind

, , , ,

As th e free heaven which rains fresh light and dew

O n the wide earth p ast ; gentle ra d i a nt forms

, ,

’
From cus tom s evil taint exempt and pure
Sp eaking the wis dom once they could not think ,

Looking emotions once they feared to feel ,

And changed to all which once they dared not be ,

120 P R O MET HEU S U NB O U ND . A CT II I .

Were J upiter the tyr a n t of the world

,

An d which the nations p anic stricken served ,

-
,

With blood and hearts broken by long hop e and lov e

, ,

D ragged to his altars soiled and garlandless ,

And S l ain among men s unreclaiming tears ’

,

Flattering the thing they feare d , which fear was hate ,

Frown mould erin g fast, o er their ab and oned shrines

,
’

The p ainted veil by those wh o were called life

, , ,

Whi c h mimicked as with colours idly spread

, ,

Al l men believed and hop ed is torn asid e ; ,

The loathsome mask has fallen the man remains ,

S ceptreless free uncircumscribed but man

, , ,

E qual unclassed
, ,
tribeless and nationless
, ,

E xempt from awe worship degree the king

, , ,

O ver himself ; j ust gentle wise : bu t man , ,

Passionless no , y et free from guilt or p ain ,

Which were for his will made or su ffered them

, ,

N or yet e x empt ,
’
tho ruling them like slaves ,

From chance and death and mutability

, , ,

The clogs of that which else might oversoar

The lo ftiest star of unascended heaven ,

P inn a cled dim in the intense inane .

E ND O F T HE I
T H R D A CT .
ACT I V . P R O MET H EU S U NBOUN D .
121

A C T IV .

S C E N E A P A T O F T H E FO R E S T N E A R T H E C A V E O P R O M ET H E U S
, R P .

PA NT HE A A N D I O N E A R E SLE E P I N G T H E Y w N G R A : A A xE

D U A LL Y D U R I N G T H E F I R S T S O N G .

V OI C E or w as ! sp a ms ;

The p ale stars are gone !

For the Su n their swift s hepherd
, ,

To their folds them compelling ,

In the depths of the dawn ,

H astes ,
in meteor eclipsing array and they
-

B eyond his bl u e dwelling ,

As fawns flee the leop ard .

B ut where are ye ?

A TRA I N or D A R E FO R M S A N D S H A D o ws P A S S E S B Y C O NF U S E D L Y ,

SINGING .

H ere ,
oh here
,

We he ar the bier
Of the F a ther of many a cancelle d
122 P RO ME T H EU S U N BO UN D . A CT I V .

Spectres we
O f the dead H ours b e ,

We b ear Time to his tomb in eternity .

Strew oh strew
, ,

H air ,
not y e w

We t the dusty pall w

ith tears not dew ! ,

B e the faded flowers

’
Of D eath s b are bowers
Spread on the corpse of the King of H ours

H aste ,
oh h aste
,
!

As shades are chased ,

’
Trembling by d ay from heaven s blue waste
, , .

We melt away
.
,

Like dissolving S pray -

,

"

From the children of a diviner d ay ,

With the lullaby

O f win d s that die
On the bosom of their own harmony

IO N E .

What dark forms were th ey ?

 4
12 P R O MET H E U S UN B O U N D . A CT I V
.

Waves assemble on ocean ,

They are g a thered and dri v en

storm of delight by th e p anic of
,

They shake with emotion ,

They d ance in their mirth .

Bu t where are ye

The pine b oughs are singing

Old songs with new gladness ,

The billows and fountains

Fresh music are flinging ,

notes of a S piri t from land and from

T he storms mock the mountains
With the thunder of gla dness .

B ut where are ye ?

ION E . What charioteers are these 7

PA N . Where are their chari ots

S EM I C H O R U S or HO U R S .

The v oice of the Spirits of Air an d of E arth

H ave dr a wn back th e figured curtain of sleep
Which c overed our being and darkened our birth
In the deep .
S CENE I . P R O MET HEU S U NB O UND .
125

A VOI C E .

In th e deep 7

S EM I C H OR U S II .

Oh belo wth e deep

,
.

S E M I C H OR U S I .

An hundred ages we had been kep t

C radled
in V isi ons of h ate and care ,

And each one who waked as hi s b r o the r

'

Found the truth

S EM I C H O R U S II .

Wors e th an his visions were

S EM I C H OR U S I .

We have heard the lute of H op e in sleep

W e have known the voice of Love in d reams ,

We have felt th e w an d of Power ,

and le ap

S EM I C H O R U S II .

As the b illows leap in the morning b e ams

126 P R O MET HE U S U N B O UN D . A CT I V .

. C H OR U S .

Weave the dance on the floor of the breeze ,

’
Pierce with song heaven s silent light ,

E nchant th e d ay that too swiftly fl ees ,

To check its flight ere the cav e of night .

O nce the hung r y H ours were hounds

Which ch ased th e day like a bleedi n g deer ,

And it limped and stumbled with many woun d s

'

Through th e ni
g htl y dells of the d e s ar t year .

B ut n o w, oh weave the mystic measure

Of music an d d ance and shapes of light
, , ,

Let the H o u rs and the spirits ofmight and pleasure

, ,

Like the clouds and su n beams unite , .

PA N . S ee where the Spirits of the h u man mind

,

\Vr ap t in sweet sounds as in bri ght veils approach

, , .
 P R O MET HEU S UNB O U N D . A CT I V .

From that deep abyss

Of wond er and bliss ,

Whose cavern s are crystal p alaces

From those skiey towers
’
Where Thought s crowned p owers
S it watching your dance ye happy H ours
,

From the dim recesses

O f woven caresses ,

Where lovers catch ye by your loose tresses ;

From the azure isles ,

Where sweet Wisdom smiles ,

D elaying your S h i ps with her syren wiles .

From the temples high

Of M an s
’
ear and eye ,

R oo fed over S culp ture an d Poesy ;

From the mu rmurings
O f th e un se aled spring
Where S cience bede ws his D aedal wings .
S CENE I . PRO MET H EU S U NB O U N D .
129

Ye a rs after yea r s ,

Through blood and tears , ,

And a thick hell of hatreds , an d hopes and fears ; ,

We wad ed a nd fl e w,

And the i slets were fe w

Where the bud blighted flow e rs of happiness grew

-
.

O ur feet n o w, every p alm ,

Are sandalled with calm ,

And the dew of our win gs is a rain of balm ;

And beyond
, our eyes ,

The human l ove lies

Which makes al l i t g a z es ,
ou P aradise .

C H OR U S OF S P IRI T S AN D HO U R S .

Then weav e the web of the mystic me asure ;

F rom the depths of the sky and the ends of the e ar th ,

C ome ,
S w i ft Spirits of m i ght and of ple a s ur e ,

F ill the d ance and the music of mirth ,

AS the w a ves of a thousand streams rush by

To a n o c e a n of S plendour and h armony

13 0 PRO MET H E US U NB O U ND . A CT Iv .

C H OR U S OF S P I RI T S .

Our S p oil is wo n ,

Our task is done ,

W e are free to di ve or soar or run

, ,

B eyon d and around ,

Or within the b ound

Which clip s the world with darkness ro und .

’
We ll p ass th e eyes
Of the starry sk ies
Into the ho ar deep to colonize
D eath ,
C haos ,
and N ight ,

From the sound of our flight ,

’
S hall flee lik e mist fro m a tempest s ml ght
,
.

And E arth , Air and Light

, ,

An d the Spirit of M ight ,

Which dri ves round the stars in their fi er y flight ; '

And Love Thought and

, , B re ath ,

The p owers th at quell D eath ,

Wherever we soar shall assemble beneath .

 P RO ME T HEU S UN B O U ND .

S EM I C H OR U S II .

S olemn , and sl ow ,
an d serene ,
an d bright ,

Le a ding th e D ay and outspeeding the N ight ,

With the p o wers of a world of p erfect light .

S EM I C H O R U S I .

We whirl singin g lou d round the g a thering sphere

, ,
'

Till th e trees and the beasts

, , and the cl o u d s a
p p e ar

From i ts ch a os m a de c alm by love not fear , .

S EM I C H OR U S II .

We encircle th e ocean and mountains of e a rth ,

And the h appy forms of its d eath and birth

Change to the music of our S weet mirth .

CH OR US OF HO U R S A N D S P IRI T S .

B re ak the dance ,
and scatter the song ,

Let so me dep art an d some remain , ,

Wherever we fly we lead along

In le as hes like , s tar b e a ms ,
soft yet strong ;
The clouds th a t are heavy with love s sweet r a in ’
.
SC ENE I . P RO M E THE US U NB O UN D .
133

PAN . Ha they are gone

IO N E . Yet feel y ou no delight
From the p ast sweetness 7

PA N . As the bare green hill

When som e soft cloud vanishes into rain ,

Laughs with a thousand drops of sunny wa ter

To the unp avilioned sky
ION E . E ven whilst we S peak
N ew notes arise . What is that awful sound ?

PA N .
’
Tis the d eep music of the rolling world
Kindling withi n the strings of the waved ai r ,

ZE o l i an modulations .

ION E . Listen too ,

H o w every p ause is filled with under notes -

C lear , silver icy keen awakening tones

, , ,

Which p ierce the sense and live within the soul , ,

’
As the s har stars pierce winter s crystal air
'

p
And gaze upon themselves within the sea .

PA N . B ut see where thro u gh t wo op enin gs in

forest
Which hangi n g branches overcanopy ,

And where t wo runnels of a rivulet ,

B et ween the close moss iol et inwoven v -

,

H ave made their p a th of melody like sisters ,

13 4 R O ME T HEU S U NB O U ND
P . A CT I V .

Who part with sighs that they m ay meet in smiles ,

T urning their dear disunion to an isl e

Of lovely gr ief a wood of sweet sad thoughts
,

T wo visions of strange radiance fl oat up on

The ocean like enchantment of stron g sound
~
,

Which flows intenser keener deeper yet , ,

U nder the ground and throu g h the windless air .

I O N E I see a chariot like that thinnest boat

.
,

In which the mother of the months is born e

By ebbing night into her western cave ,

When she U psprings from interlun ar dreams ,

’
O er which is curved an orblik e canopy
O f gentle darknes s ,
an d the hills and woods
D istinctl y seen through that dusk airy veil ,

’
R egard like shapes in an ench anter s glass
Its wheels are soli d clouds azure and gold , ,

Such as th e genii of the thunder storm

-
-

P ile on the floor of the illumined sea

When the sun rushes und er it ; they roll
And move and grow as with an inward win d
Within it sits a winged infant , white

I ts countenance like the whiteness of bright snow

, ,

I ts plumes are as fea thers of sunny frost ,

Its limbs gleam white through the wind ,

-
flo wi n g fol d s
136 PR o ME THE U S U NB O U N D . A CT I V.

O ver each other with a th ousand motions ,

U pon a thousand sightless axles spinning ,

And wi th the force of self d estroyin g swiftness

-

Intensely slowly solemnly roll on

, , ,

Kindling with mingled sounds , an d many tones ,

I ntelligib l e words an d music wild .

With mighty whirl the multitudinous orb

Grinds th e b right brook into an a z ure mist
O f elemental subtlety like light ; ,

And the wild o d our of th e forest fl owers ,

The music of the living grass and air ,

T he emerald ligh t of leaf entangled beam s

-

R o u nd its inte n s e yet self c o n fl i c ti n g s peed

-

S eem kneaded into one aerial mass

Which drowns the sense . Wi thin the orb itself ,

Pillowe d up on its alabaster arms ,

’
Lik e to a child o er we ar i e d with sweet toil ,

O n its o wn fold ed wings and wavy h air

, ,

The Spirit of the E arth is laid a sleep

’

And you c an see i ts little lips are moving ,

Amid the changing light of their o wn smiles ,

‘

Like one who talks of what he loves in dream .

IO N E .
’
Tis only mocking the orb s h armony ’
.

P A N And from a star u p on its forehead shoot

.
, ,
S CE NE I. P R OM ET HEU S UNB O UN D .
137
"

Like swords of azure fire or golden spe ars ,

With tyr ant quel l i n g myrtle

-
o ve r twi n e d ,

E mbleming heaven and earth united w no ,

V ast beams like spok e of some invisible wheel

Which whirl as the orb whirls swifter than thought , ,

Filling the abyss with sun lik e lightnings -

,

And perpendicular n o w, and now transvers e ,

Pierce the d a rk soil an d as they pierce and pass

, ,

M a ke bare the secrets of the earth s deep heart ; ’

Infinite mine of adaman t and gold ,

V alueless stones and unimagined gems

, ,

And caverns on crystalline columns p oured

5
With vegetable silver overspread
Wells of u nfathomed fire and water sprin gs,

Whence the great sea even as a child is fed

, ,

’
Whose vap ours clothe earth s monarch moun tain top s -

With kingl y ermine snow

,
. The beams fl ash on
And make appear the melancholy rui ns
O f cancelled cycles anchors b e ak s of ships
'

; , ;

Planks turned to marble ; quivers helms and S pe a rs , , ,

And gorgon headed targes and the wheels

-

Of scythed chariots and the embl azonry

,

O f trophies standards and armorial beasts

, , ,

R ound which d eath laughed sepulchred emblem s ,

138 P R O METH EU S U N B O UN D . A CT IV .

Of dead d estruction ruin within ruin ,

!

The wrecks beside of many a city vast ,

Whose p opulation which the earth grew over

Was mortal but not human , see they lie
,

Their monstrous works and uncouth skeletons , ,

Their stat u es homes and fanes , prodigious S hapes

H uddled in grey annihilation split , ,

Jammed in the hard black deep ; and over these

, ,

The anatomies of unknown winged things ,

And fishes which were isles of living scale ,

And serpents bony C hains twisted around

, ,

The iron crags or within heaps of dust

,

To which the tortuous strength of their last p angs

H ad crushed the iron crags ; and over these
The j agged alligator and the might ,

O f earth convulsing behemoth which once

-
,

Were mo n arch beas ts and on the slimy shores , ,

An d weed overgrown continents of earth

-
,

Increased and multiplied like summer worms

O n an abandoned corpse till the blue globe ,

Wrapt deluge round it like a C loke and they ,

Yelled gasped an d were abolished ; or some God

, ,

Whose throne was in a comet p ast an d crie d , , ,

Be n ot ! And like my words they were n o more .

 4
1 0 P R O M ETHEU S U NBO UN D .

They cry aloud as I do . S ceptred curse ,

Who all our green and azure universe

T hr e ate n e d s t to m u fll e round with black destruction ,

sending
A solid cloud to rain hot thunder s tones -
,

And splinter and knead down my children sbones ’

All I bring forth to one void mass b a ttering and

,

blending .

Until each crag like tower and storied column

-
, ,

Palace and obelisk and temple solemn

, , ,

M y imperial mountains crowned with cloud and snow , ,

and fire ;
M y sea like forests
-

,
every blade and blossom
Which finds a grave or cradle in my bosom ,

Were stamped by thy strong hate into a lifele s s mire .

H o w art thou sunk , withdrawn covered , drunk ,

B y thirsty nothing , as the brackish cup

D rained by a d e s ar t -
troop a little drop for all
,

An d from beneath around within , , , above ,

Filling thy void annihilation lo ve ,

B ursts in like light on cave s clo ven by thunder ball -

.
S CENE I . P R O MET HEU S U N B O U N D .
1 1 4
THE MOO N .

The snow u pon my lifeless mo u nt ains

Is loosened into living fountains ,

M y solid oceans fl o w, an d S ing and shine

,

A spirit fr om my heart bursts forth , ‘

It clothes with u ne xpected birth

M y c old b a re bosom : Oh ! it must b e thine
O n mine on mine !
,

Gazing on thee I feel I know ,

Green st alks burst forth and , b r i g ht fl o we r s grow ,

And living S hapes up on my bosom mo ve

M usic is in the sea and air ,

Winged clouds soar here and ther e ,

'

D a rk with the r a in n ew buds are dreaming o f

Tis l ove all love !
’
,

TH E EA R T H .

It interpenetr a tes my grani te m a ss ,

Through tangled roots a nd trod den cl ay doth pass ,

Into the utmost le a ves and d e li c ate s t fl owers

Upon the winds ,
among the clouds tis S pre ad ’
,

It wakes a l ife in the forgotten dead ,

The y bre athe a spirit U

p fro m th e i r O bscurest bowers .
 4
1 2 P RO MET HEU S U NB O U ND . A CT I V
‘

And like a storm bursting its cloud y prison

With thunder and with whirlwind has arisen
, ,

O ut of the lampless caves of unimagined being

With earthquake shock an d swiftn ess m aking S h iver
’
Thought s stagnant chaos unremoved for ever , ,

Till h ate and fear and p ain light vanquished shadows

, , ,
-
,

fleeing ,

Leave M an ,
who was a many sided mirror ,

Which coul d distort to many a shap e of error ,

T his true fair world of things a sea reflecting love ;,

’
Which over all his kind as the Sun s heaven
’
Gliding o er ocean smooth serene and even
, , ,

D arting from starry depths radiance and ligh t do th

,

move .

Leave man even as a leprous child is left

, ,

Who follows a S ick beast to some warm cleft

O f rocks through which the might of healing S prings
,

is p oured
Then when it wanders home with rosy smile ,

U nconscious ,
and its mother fe ars awhile
It is a pirit then
S , ,
wee p s on her chi l d restored .
 4
14 PRO M E THEU S UN B O UN D . A CT I V .

All things confess his stren gth . Thro u gh the cold

mass
Of marble and of colo u r his dreams p ass
B right thre a ds whence mothers weave the robes their
hild r en wear
C

Lang a ge is a perpe tual orphic song

u ,

Which rules with D ae dal harmony a throng

Of tho u ghts and forms which else senseless and sha p e
,

less were .

’
The lightning is his s l ave ; heaven s utmost deep
Gi ves u
P her stars , and like a flock of sheep
They p ass before his eye are numbered an d rol l on !, ,

The tempest is hi s steed he strides the

, ai r

And the abyss sh outs from her d epth laid bare

‘

H e a ven ,
h ast thou secrets ?
M an unveils me ; I h ave
none .

TH E MOO N .

T he shadow of white death h as p ast

.

From my p at h in heaven a t l a st ,

A clin ging S hroud of solid frost and sleep

A n d t hrough my newly woven bowers -
,

Wander happy p ar a mours ,

Less mighty but a s mild as those who k eep

,

Thy v ales more d eep .

SC ENE I . PRO ME THEU S UNB O U ND .
14
5

TH E EA RT H .

As the dissolving warmth of dawn m ay fold

A half i n fr o z en dew -
globe green and gold
, , ,

And crystalline till it becomes a winged mist

, ,

And wanders up the

'

Vau l t of the blue day ‘

’
Outlives the noon and on the sun s last ray ,

’
H angs o er the sea a fleece of fire and amethyst
, .

TH E MOO N .

Tho u art folded tho u art lyin g ,

In the light which is undying

’
’
Of thine o wn j oy ,
an d he av e n s smile divine
All suns an d constellations shower
On thee a light; a life a p ower ,

Which doth array thy sphere thou p o ures t thine

On mine on min e ! ,
'

THE EAR TH .

I spin beneath my pyramid of night ,

Which points into the heavens dreaming delight ,

M urmuring victorious j oy in my enchanted sleep

As a yo u t h lulled in love dreams faintly sighing
-

U nder the shadow of his beauty lying ,

Whi h round his rest a watch of l ight d warmth doth

'

c an

k eep . !
4
1 6 P RO MET HE U S UNB O UN D . A CT I V .

THE MOO N .

AS in the soft and sweet eclipse ,

’
When sou l meets soul on lovers lips ,

H igh hearts are calm and brightest eyes are

,

So when thy shadow falls on me ,

Then am I mute an d still by thee ,

C overed ; of thy love Orb most beautiful

, ,

Full oh too full

, ,
!

Thou art speeding round the sun

B rightest worl d of many a one ;
Green and azure S phere which s hi n e s t

With a light which is divinest

Among all the lamps of H e aven
To who m life and light is given ;
I thy crystal paramour
,

B orne beside thee by a power

Like the polar Paradise ,

M agnet like of lovers eyes

-
’

I a most en amoured maiden

,

Whose weak br ai n overladen 15

With the pleasure of her love ,

M ani ac l ike around thee move

-
 4
1 8 P R O METH E US UNB O U ND . ACT I V .

TH E EAR T H .

And the we a k day weeps

That it shoul d be so .

Oh gentle , M oon ,
the voice of thy delight
Falls on me like thy clear and tender light
S oothing the seaman borne the summe r night , ,

Through isles for ever calm ;

Oh gentle
,
M oon ,
thy crystal accents pierce
The c averns of my pride s deep universe ’
,

C harming the tiger j oy whose tramplings fierce

,

M a de w ounds which need thy

P A N I rise as from a b ath of sp arkl ing water

.
,

A b ath of azure light among dark rocks , ,

Out of the stream of sound .

ION E . Ah me sweet sister ,

The stream of sound has ebbed away from u s,

And you pretend to rise out of its wav e ,

B ecause your words fall like the clear ,

s oft de w

Shaken from a bathing wood nymph s limbs and h air -

’
.

P A N P eace ! pe a ce
. ! A mighty Power which is a s ,

darkness ,

Is rising out o f Earth , and from the sky

S CENE I . P R O MET HEU S UN B O UN D .
4
1 9

Is showered like night , and from within the air

B ursts ,
like eclipse w hich h ad been gathered u
p
Into the pores o f sunlight : the bright v isions ,

Wherein the singing spirits rode and shone ,

Gleam like pale meteors thr ough a r wate r

y night .

I O N E There is a sense of words u pon mine ear

. .

P A N An uni versal sound like words : Oh list !

.
,

D EM OGORGO N .

Thou ,
E arth ,
calm empire of a h appy soul ,

Sphere of divinest shapes an d harmonies ,

B eautif l u orb gathering as thou dost roll

The love which p aves thy path along the skies

TH E EAR T H .

I he ar I am as a drop of de w that dies .

D EM OGORGO N .

Thou , M oon ,
which g az e s t on the nightly Earth
With wonder as it gazes upon the e
,

Whilst e a ch to men ,
and beasts and the s wift birth
,

Of birds is beauty love calm harmony

, , , ,

THE M OO N .

I he ar : I am a l e af sh ak e n by thee
150 P R O MET HEU S UNB O UN D . A CT I V .

D EM OGORGO N .
‘

Ye kings of suns and stars ,

D mmo n s and Gods ,

fE the r i al D ominations who poss ess ,

El ysi an windless fortunate abodes

, ,

B eyond H eaven s constellated wilderness

’

A VOI C E FROM A BO E V .

Our great R epublic hears we are blest and bless , , .

D EM OGORGO N .

Ye h appy de ad whom b e ams of brightest v erse

,

Are clouds to hide not Colours to pourtray

, ,

Whether your nature is that universe

Which once ye saw and su ffered

A VOI C E PRO M E E N E A T H.

Or as they
Whom we have left we change ,
and p a ss away .

D EM O GORGO N .

Ye elemental G enii , who have hom es

’
From man s high mind even to the central stone
Of s u llen lead ; from H eaven s ’
star fretted dome s
-

To the dull wee d some Se a -

Wor mb attens on
152 P R O MET HEU S U NB O UN D . A CT I V .

D EM OGORGO N .

This is the day which do wn the void abysm

,

At the E arth b orn s spell y awns for

-
’
H eaven s despotism ’
,

And C onquest is dragged capti ve through the deep

Love from its awful throne of patient power
,

In the wise heart from the last giddy hour

,
“

Of dead e n d u r an ce fr o m the slippery steep

a , .
, ,

And narrow verge of crag like agony -

,
S prings
An d folds over the world i ts healing wings .

G ent l eness , V irtue , Wisdom an d ,

‘

E ndurance ,

T hese are the s eals of that most firm assuranc e

’
Which bars the pit over D estruction s strength
And if with infirm hand
, ,
E ternity ,

M other of many acts and hours should free ,

The se r pent th a t w ould clasp he r wi th ~

his length
T hese are the S pells by which to re -
assume
’
An empire o er the disentangled doom .

To su ffer woes wh i ch H op e thinks infinite

To forgive wrongs d arker than death or night
To defy Power which seems omnipotent ;
,
C NE
S E I . P R O M ET HEU S UN B O U ND .
153

To love and bear ,

to hope till H ope cre ates
From its own wreck the thing it contemplates ;
N either to change ,
nor flatter ,
n or repent ;
This like thy glor y
, ,
Titan is to be
,

Goo d great and joyous beautiful and free ;

, ,

This is alone Life Joy , ,

E mpire , and V ictory .
 T HE S E N S I T I V E PL A N T .

P AR T F IR S T .

A S EN S I T I V E Plant in a garden grew ,

And the young winds fed it with silver d e w,

A nd it opened its fan like leaves to the light

-

And closed the m beneath the kisses of night

'

An d the Spring arose on the garden fair ,

Like the Spirit of Love felt eve r y where

’
And each flower and herb on E ar th s d ar k
‘
brea s t
R ose from the dreams of its wintry rest .

B ut none ever trembled and panted with bliss

In the garden the field or the wilderness
, , ,

’
Lik e a doe in the noon tide with love s sweet want
-

As the co mp an i o nl e s s S e n s i ti ve P lant .
158 THE S EN S IT IVE PLANT .

The sno w -
drop and then the violet
, ,

Arose from the ground with warm rain wet ,

And their breath was mixed with fresh odour sent ,

From the turf like the voice and the instrument

, .

Then the pied wind -

fl o we rs and the tulip tall ,

And narcissi the fairest among them all

, ,

’
Who gaze on their eyes in the stream s recess ,

Till they die of their o wn dear loveliness ;

And the N aiad like lily of

-
the vale ,

Whom youth makes so fair and passion so pale ,

Th at the light of its tremulous b e lls is seen

Through their p a vilions of tender green

And the hyacinth purple and white and blue , , ,

Which flung from its bells a sweet peal anew

Of music so delic ate s o ft an d intense
, , ,

It w a s felt like a n o dour within the sense

And the rose like a ny mph to the bath addrest ,

Whi ch unveiled the depth of her gl owing breast ,

Till fold after fold to the fainting air

, ,

The soul of her beauty an d love lay b are

160 T HE S EN SITI VE P LA N T .

Were al l paved with daisies and delicate bells

As fair as the fab ulous asphodels ,

And fl o wr e ts which drooping as day drooped too

Fell into pavilions white purple and blue
, , , ,

To roof t he glow worm from the evening

-
de w .

And from this u n d e fil e d Paradise

’
The flowers ( as an infant s awakening eyes
S mile on its mother whose singing sweet,

C an first lull ,
and at last must aw aken i t, )

When H eaven s blithe winds had unfolded

’

As mine la mps enkindle a hidden gem

-
,

Shone smiling to H eaven ,

and every one
S h ared j oy in the li ght of the gentle sun ;

For each one was interpenetrated

With the l i ght an d the odour its neighbour shed
’

Like young l overs whom youth and l o v e mak e d ear

Wrapped and filled by their mutual atmosphere .

B ut the S ensitive Plant which could g ive small fr u it

Of the love which it felt from the leaf to the root ,

Received mo r e ‘

than all , it loved more t han ever ,

Where none w anted but it could belong to the giv er ,

,
 T HE SE NS ITIVE PLA N T .
161

For the sensitive p l ant has no bright flower ;

R adiance and o dour are not its dower ;
It l oves e v en like Love its deep heart is full
, , , ,

It desires wh a t it h as not the be auti fu l !

,

The light winds which from u n s u s t ai mn g wings

Shed the mu s rc of m any murmurings ;
The beams which d a rt from many a star
Of the fl owers whose hues they be ar afa r ;

The plumed insects swift and free ,

Like go l den boats on a sunny sea ,

Laden with light and odour which pass ,

O ver the gleam of the livin g gr ass ;

The unseen clouds of the d e w, which lie

Like fire in the flowers til l the sun rides high ,

Then wander li k e S pirits among the spheres ,

E ach cloud faint with the fragran c e it bears

The quivering vapo u rs of di m noontide ,

Which like a sea o er the warm earth glide

’
,

I n which every sound and odour and beam

, , ,

M ove a s reeds in a sin gle stre am ;

,
1gg T HE S EN S I TI VE PLA N T .

E ach and all like ministering angels were

For the sensitive plant sweet joy to bear ,

Whilst the lagging hours of the d a y went by

’
Like windless clo u ds o er a te n der sky .

And when evening descended from heaven above ,

And the E arth was all rest and the air was all love
, ,

’
And delight tho less bright was far more deep
, , ,

’
And the day s veil fell from the world of sleep ,

And the be a sts and the birds and the insects were
, ,

drowned
In an oce an Of dreams without a sound ;
’
Whose waves never mark tho they ever impress ,

The light sand which p aves it consciousn ess ,

( Only over head the sweet nightingal e

E ver san g more sweet as the day m i ght fail ,

And snatches of its E lysian chant

Were mixed with the dreams of the sensitive p lant ) .

T he sensitive plant was the earliest

Up g
-
a thered into the bo s om of rest ;
 4
16 T HE S E NS ITI VE PLA NT
'

Told whilst the moon kissed the sleep from he r eyes

,

That her dre a ms were less S lumber than Paradise

As if some bright Spirit for her sweet sake

H ad deserted heaven while the stars were aw ake ,

AS if yet around h e r he
. lingering were ,

’
Tho the veil of daylight concealed him from her .

H er step seemed to pity the grass it prest ;

You might hear by the heaving of her breast ,

That the coming and going of the wind

B rought ple asure there and left passion behind

And wherever her airy footstep trod ,

H er trailing hair from the grassy sod

E r ased its light vestige wi th h d wy sweep
, s a o ,

’
Like a sunny storm o er the dark green deep .

I doubt not the flowers of that garden sweet

R ej oiced in the sound of her gentle feet ;
I doubt not they felt the spirit that came
From her glowing fingers thro all their fr a me
’
.
 THE S EN S ITIV E PLA N T .
165

She sprinkled bright water from the stream

On those that were faint with the sunny beam ;
And out of the cups of the heavy fl owers
S he e mptied the rain of the th u nder showers .

She lifted their heads with her tend er hands ,

And s u s tai n e d the m with rods and ozier h an d s ;

If the fl owers had been her own infants she

C ould never h ave nursed them more tenderly .

An d all killing insects and gnawing worms ,

And things of obscene and unlovely forms ,

She bore in a baske t of Indian woof ,

Into the rough wood s far aloof ,

In a basket of grasses and wild flowers full

, ,

The freshest her gentle hands could pull

For the poor b anished insects whose intent , ,

Although they did ill was innocent, .

B ut the bee and the beamlike ephemeris

’
Whose path is the lightning s and soft moths that kiss
,

The sweet lips of the flowers and harm not did she,
‘

M ake her attendant angel s be .

166 THE S EN S IT I VE PLA N T .

And many an antenatal tomb ,

Where butterflies dream of the life to come ,

She left clinging round the smooth and dark

E dge of the odorous cedar bark .

This fairest creature from earliest spring

Thus moved thro u gh the garden ministering
All the sweet season of summer tide ,

And ere the first leaf looked brown —

she died !

P ART T H IR D .

Three d ays the flowers of the garden fair ,

Like stars when the m oon is awakened were , ,

Or the waves of Bai m , er e lumino u s

She floats up through the s moke of V esuvius .

And on the fourth the S ensitive Plant

,

Felt the sound of the funeral chaunt ,

And the steps of the bearers heavy and slow

, ,

And the sobs of the mourners deep and low

168 THE S EN S IT IVE PLAN T . .

And I ndi an plants of sce nt an d hue

,

The sweetest that ever were fed on d e w,

Leaf after leaf day after d ay

, ,

Were mas sed into the common clay .

And the leaves brown y ellow and grey

, , , ,
an d r e d ,

And white with the whiteness of what is dead ,

Like tr 0 0 ps of ghosts on the dry wind past ;

Their whistling noise made the birds aghast .

An d the gu s ty winds wake d the winged seeds ,

'

O ut of their birthplace o f ugly weeds ,

’
Till they cl u ng roun d many a sweet fl o we r s stem ,

Which rotted into the e arth with them .

The water blooms under the r i vule t

-

Fell from th e s talks on which they were set ; .

And the eddies drove the m here and there,

As the winds did those of the upper air .

Then the rain came down and the broken stalks , ,

We r e r
b en t and tangled a cr o s s the walks ;
And the leafless n e t work of parasite bowers
-
.

Massed into ruin ; an d all s we e t flo wer s

'
.
 THE S ENS IT IVE P LA N T .
169

B etween the time of the wind and the snow ,

All loathliest weeds began to grow ,

Whose coarse leaves were splashed with many a speck ,

’ ’
Like the wate r snake s belly and the toad s back
-
.

A nd thistles and nettles and darnels rank

, , ,

And the dock and henbane and hemlock d ank

, , ,

S tretched out its long and hollo w shank ,

And stifled the air till the dead wind stank .

And plants at whose names the verse feels lo a th

, ,

Filled the place with a mons tro us u ndergrowth ,

P rickly and pulpo u s and blist ering and b lue

, , , ,

Livid and starred with a lurid

,
dew .

And agarics and fun g i with milde w a nd mo uld ,

S tarted like mist from the wet ground cold

Pale fl eshy as if the decaying dead
, ,

With a spirit of growth had been animate d

Their moss rotted o ff them fl ake by fl ake

, ,

Till the thick stalk stuck like a murderer s st ak e ’

,

Where rags o f .
loose flesh y e t tremble on high ,

Infecting the winds that wander by .

170 THE SE N S I TI VE PLA NT .

Spawn weeds and filth a leprous scum

, , , ,

M ade the running rivulet thick and dumb

And at its outlet flags huge as stakes
D ammed it up with roots knotted like wa ter snakes .

And hour by hour when the air was still

, ,

The vapours arose which have strength to kill

At morn they were seen at noon they were felt
, ,

At night they were darkness no star could melt .

And unctuous m e te or s fr o m
. spray to spray
C rept and fl i tt ed in broad noon day -

U nseen ; every branch on which they alit

B y a venomous blight w as burned and bit .

The S ensitive Plant like one forbi d

Wept and the tears within each l id
,

Of its folded leaves which together gre w

Were changed to a blight of frozen glue .

For the leaves soon fell and the branch es soon

,

B y t he heavy axe of the blast were hewn

The sap shrank to the root through every pore
As blood to a he art that wil l be a t no more .
172 TH E S EN S ITIVE

And a northern whirlwind , wandering about

'

Like a wolf that had smelt a dead child out ,

Shook the boughs th u s laden and heavy and stiff , ,

And snapp e d them o ff with his rigid

'

r ifl.
g

When winter had gone and spring came back

The Sensitive Plant was a leafless wreck ;
B ut the m andrakes ,
and toadstools and docks and , ,

darnels ,

R ose like the d ead fro m their ruined charnels .

C O N C L U S IO N .

Whether the S ensitive Plant or that ,

Which wi thin its boughs like a spirit s a t

Er e its outward form had known decay ,

Now felt this change I cannot say ,

.

’
Whether that .
l ad y s gentle mind ,

N o longer with the form combined

Which scattered love as s tars do light ,

F ound sadness where it left delight

, ,
 T HE S EN S ITIVE P L AN T .
173

I dare not guess ; but in this life

Of error ignorance and strife
, , ,

Where nothing is but all things seem

, ,

And we the sh a dows of the dream ,

It is a modest creed and yet ,

Ple as ant if one considers it ,

To own that d e ath itself must

’

Like all the rest , a mockery .

That garden sweet th at l ady fair , ,

And all s weet shapes and odours there ,

’
In truth have never p as s d away
’ ’
Tis we ,
tis ours are changed
,
not they .

For love and beauty and delight

, , ,

There is no death nor change : their might

E xceeds our organs , w hich endure
N o light ,
being themselves obscure .
 A V I S I O N O F T HE S E A .

’
T IS the terror of tempest . The r ags of the
Are flickeri n g in ribbons within the fierce gale
From the stark night of vapours the dim rain is driven ,

And when lightning is loosed like a deluge from heaven

, ,

She sees the black trunks of the water -

S pouts S pin ,

And ben d as if heaven was raining in

, ,

Which they s ee md
’
to sustain with their terrible m a ss
As if ocean had sank from beneath them they p ass
To their graves in the d eep with an e arthquake of s o u nd ,

An d the waves and the thunders made silent around

’
Leave the wind to its echo . The vessel ,
now
’
to s s d

Through the lo w -
tr a iling r a ck of the tempest is lost ,
176 A V I S IO N O F TH E S E A .

Sit r?
’
O er the lakes of the d e s ar t Who on the othe
Is that all the cre w that lie burying each other ,

?
Like the dead in a breach round the foremast ,
Are those
Twin ty g e r s , who burst when the waters arose
, ,

In the agony of terror the i r chains in the hold ; ,

( What no w makes them tame is what then made them ,

bold ; )
Who crouch side by side and h ave driven like a crank
, , , ,

The deep grip of their claws through the vibrating plank .

Are these all N ine weeks the tall vessel had lain
?

On the windless e x panse of the watery plain ,

Where the death d arting t n o shadow t noo

-
s u n z c as a n,

’
And there see md to be fire in the beams of the moon ,

’ ’
Till a lead co l o u r d fog athe r d up from the deep
g
-

Whose breath was quick pestilence ; then the cold sleep ,

C rept , like blight through the ears of a thick field

of corn ,

’
O er the populous vessel . An d even an d morn ,

With their hammocks for c o fli n s the seamen aghast

L i k e d e ad men the dead limbs of their comrades cast
r

D own the de ep which closed on them above and around

, ,

And the sharks and the dog -

fis h their gr a ve clothes -
uh

bound ,
 A V I S IO N O F TH E SEA .
177

’
A nd were glutted like Jews with this manna rain d down '

From God on their wilderness . O ne after one

l

The mariners died ; on the eve of thi s d ay ,

When the tempest was gathering i n cloudy array ,

’
But seven remain d . Six the thunder has smitten ,

And they lie black as mummies on which Time has

written
H is scorn of the embalmer ; the seventh from the deck ,

An oak splinter pierced through his breast and his b ack

-

And hung out to the tempest a wrec k on the wreck

, .
'

N o more ? At the helm sits a woman more fair

Than heaven when unbinding its star braid e d hair
, ,
—
,

It sinks wi th the sun on the earth and the sea .

’
She cla3 ps a bright child on her ath e r d knee
u
pg ,

It laughs at the l ightning it mocks the mixed thunder

,

O f the air and the sea with desire an d with wonder

,

It is beckon i ng the ty g e r s to r ise and come near

'

It would play with thos e eyes where the radia nce of fear
IS outshining the meteors ; its b osom b e a ts high ,

The hear t -
fir e of ple a sure has kindled its eye ;
’
Whilst its mother s is lustreless . Smile not my child , ,

B ut sleep deeply and sweetly and so b e beguiled ,

O f the p ang th a t aw a its us whatever that be

, ,

S o dr e a dful since thou must divid e i t with me !

M
178 A V I SIO N O F THE SE A .

D ream ,
s leep This pale b osom ,
t hy cradle and b ed ,

Will it rock thee not infant ,

? ’
Ti s he ati n g with d re adf
Alas wha t is life what is death what are we , , ,

?
That when th e ship sinks we n o l o nger m ay b e
?
What to see thee no more and to feel thee no more ,

To b e a fter life what we have been b efore ?

N o t to touch th os e s weet hands ?

N ot to look on
those eyes .

Those lips and that hair all that smiling disguise

, , ;

Tho u yet we ar e s t sweet S pirit which I day by d ay , , , ,

H ave so long called my child ,

but which n o w fades away
Like a r ai n b o w an d I the fallen shower ? Lo ! the ship
' !
,

Is set tling it topples the leeward p orts dip

, , ;

The ty g e r s l ea p up when they feel the slow brine

Cr a wling inch by inch on the m hair ears limbs !
, , , and

eyne ,

S tan d rigi d with horror -

a loud ; l ong hoarse cry

,

B ursts once from the i r vit als tremendously

at ,

And tis borne down the m ount a inous vale of the w a ve

’
,

R eb ounding like thunder from crag to cave

'
‘

, , ,

M ixed with th e cl ash of the lashing r in a ,

H urrie d by the might of the hurric ne

on a

The hurricane came fro m th e west and p ast on ,

B y th e
‘

p ath of the gate of the eastern sun ,

180 A V I S IO N o r T HE S E A .

An d the long glassy heave of the rocking sea ,

And over head glorious , but dreadful to see

The wrecks of the tempest like vapours of gold , ,

Are consuming in sunrise . The heaped waves behold

The deep c alm of blue heaven dilating ab ove ,

And like passions made still by the presence of Love

, ,

B eneath the clear surface reflecting it slide

Tremulous with soft influence ; extending its tide
From the Andes to Atlas round mounta in and isle , ,

R oun d se a birds—
an d wre cks , p aved wit h he a ven a zure’
s

smile .

The wide worl d of waters is vibrating . Where

Is the ship ? O n the ver ge of the w ave where it lay
O ne tyger is mingle d in ghastly a ffray
Wi th a sea -
snake The foam and the smok e of the battle
.

Stain the clear air with sunbows ; the j ar and the rattle ,

’
Of soli d b on es cr u s h d by the infinite s tress
’
O f th e snake s adamantine voluminousness ;
An d the hum of the hot blo o d th at spouts and r ains
Where the gripe of th e tyger has wounded the vei n s ,

S wollen wi th rage s trength an d e ffort ; the whirl and

, ,

th e S plash
As of some hideous engine whose br a zen teeth sm ash ‘

The thin winds and soft waves into thunder ; the s creams
And hissings cr a wl fa st o er the smooth ocean stre a ms
’
,
 A V IS I O N O F TH E S E A .
18 ]

E ach sou n d like a centipede . Ne ar this commotion ,

A blue shark is han ging within t he blue ocean ,

The fi n winged to mb
-
. of the victor . The other
Is winning his way from the fate of his brother ,

To his o wn with the spee d of desp air , Lo a boat

Ad vances ; t wel v e rowers with the impulse of thought
Urge on the keen keel ,
the brine foams . At the ster n
Three marksme n stand levelling . H ot bullets .
burn
’

In _
the breast of the tyger which , y e t b e ar s him on
To his refuge a nd ruin . One fragment alone ,

’ ’
Tis dwindling and sinking tis n o w almost gone , ,

Of the wreck of the vessel p eers out of the sea .

With her left hand she grasp s it impetuously ,

With her right she sustains her fair infant D eath Fear .
, ,

Love , B eauty ,
are mixed i n the a tmosphere ;
Which trembles an d burns with the fervour of dread
Aroun d her wild eyes her bright hand and h e r head
, , ,

’
Like a meteor of light o er the waters her child
Is yet smiling an d playing and murmuring ; so smile d
, ,

The false deep ere the storm . L i k e a s i s te r and brother

T he child an d the ocean still smile on each other ,

Whilst
 OD E T O H EA V E N .

C HO RUS O F S PI RITS .

FI R S T S P I RI T .

P A LA C E -
ROOF of clou dless nights !
Par adise of gol de nl ights
D eep immeasurable vast
, , ,

Which art no w, an d which wert then

O f the presen t and the past ,

Of the eternal where and when ,

Presence chamber temp l e

-
, ,
h o me ,

E ver canopying dome

-

Of acts and ages yet to come 3

 4
18 OD E TO H E AVEN .

Lik e weak insects in a cave ,

Lighted up by stalactites
B ut the p ortal of th e g r ave ,

Where a world of ne w d elights

Will mak e thy best glories seem

B ut a dim and noonday gleam
From the shadow of a dre a m !

T H IR D S P I RI T .

Peace ! th e abyss is wreathed with scorn

At your presumption atom born ! ,
-

What is heaven ? an d wh at are ye

Wh o its brief expanse inherit ?

What are suns and S pheres which fl ee

With the instinct of that spirit
Of which ye are but a part ?

D rops which N ature s mighty heart

’

D ep art !
'

D rives through thinnest vei ns .

What is heaven ? a globe of d e w,

Filling in the morning n ew

 OD E TO H E AVEN .
185

S ome eyed flower whose young leaves waken

On an unimagined worl d
C onstellated suns unshaken ,

Orbits measureless are furled

,

In that frail and fading s p h ere ,

With ten millions gathered there ,

To tremble gleam and dis a ppear

, ,
.
 A N E! H O R TA T I O N .

CA M E LION S feed on light and air

’
Poets food is love and fame
If in this wide W orld of care
P oets could but find the same
With as little toil as they ,

Would they ever ch ange their hu e

As the light ca me li o n s do ,

Suiting it to every ray

Twenty times a -
day 7

Poets are on this cold earth ,

As ca me l i on s might be ,

H id d en from their early birth

In a cave beneath the sea ;
 O D E T O T HE WE S T WI N D ) “

O W I L D West Wind thou breath of Aut u mn s being

, ,
’
,

Thou from whose unseen presence the leaves dead

,

Are driven like ghosts from an ench anter fleeing

, ,

T ish po em w as c on c e ve i d and c hi efly w ri tt en in a wo o d th a t

Skirts th e A rn o , h th t t mp
n e ar F l o r e n ce, an d o n a d ay w en a e t
es u o u s

wi d n wh ,
t mp t i o se mi l de d i m ti g w
e ra u re s at once an an a n ,
as

col l ti g h
ec p nwh i h pt d w h t mn l i Th y
e va o u rs c ou r o n t e au u a ra ns . e

b g e an , I f w as t wi th i l t t mp t f h il d
o re s a ,
at s u n s e a v o en e es O a an

i
r a n, tt d d by th t m g ifi t th d d l ight i g p li
a en e a a n c en un er an n n ec u ar to

th C i lpi
e gi
sa ne re ons.

Th e p h en o men o n all u d e d th i d t
to at th e co n c l u sio n o f th e r s an z a

i s we ll kn o wn to t li t Th g t ti
n a u ra s s . h b tt m f h
e ve e a on at t e o o o t e

s e a, of r ive rs , an d o fl k a ymp th i wi th th t f h l d i h
es , s a ses a o t e an n t e

ch g an e o f s ea s o n s , an d i q s tl y i fl d
c o ns eby h w i d
u en n u en ce t e n s

wh i h c a n n o un ce it .
 O D E TO T HE WEST WI ND .
189

Yellow an d black and p ale an d he c ti c red

‘

, , , ,

Pestilence stricken multitudes : O thou

-
, ,

Who c har i o te s t to their dark wi n try bed

The winged see d s where they lie cold and l o w,

‘

E ach like a corpse within its grave until ,

Thine azure sister of the spring shall blo w

H er cl arion ’
o er the dreaming earth and fill ,

( D ri ving sweet b u ds like fl ocks to feed i n air )

With living hues and odours plai n an d hill

Wil d Spirit ,
which art moving every where ;
D estroyer and preserver ; he a r O hear , ,
!

’ ’
Thou on whose stream mid the steep sky s commotion
, ,

’
Loose clouds like earth s decaying leaves are she d ,

Shook from the tangled boughs of H eaven and Oce an ,

Angels of r ain an d lightning : there a re S pread

O n the blue surfa ce of thine airy surge
.
,

Like the bright h air uplifted from the he a d

190 OD E To T HE WE ST WI ND .

Of some fierce M enad

a ,
even from the dim verge
’
O f the horizon to the zenith s height
The loc k s of the approachi n g storm . Thou dirge

O f the dying year to which this closing night

,

Will b e the dome of a vast sep ulchre ,

V aulted with all thy congregated migh t

Of vap o u rs from whose solid atmosphere

,

B lack rain ,
and fire ,
and h ail will burs t : O hear ,

Thou who didst waken from his summ er d rea ms

The blue M editerranea n, where he lay ,

Lulled by the c oil of his crystalline streams ,

B eside a pumice isle in B ai ae

’
s b ay ,

And s aw I n sleep old p alaces and towers

’
Q u i v e r in g wi thi n the wave s intenser day
‘

All overgrown with a z ure m oss and flowers

S o sweet the sense faints picturing them
,

For whose p a th the Atlantic s level powers ’

19 2 O DE T O T HE W E ST WI ND .

A heavy we i ght of hours has chained and bow e d

’

O ne too like thee : tameless and swift and prou d , ,

.

M ake m e thy lyre , even as the forest is

What if my leaves are falling like its own !
The tumult of thy mighty ha rmo n ies

Will take from both a deep autumnal tone , ,

S weet though in sadness . B e thou ,

spirit fierce ,

My S pirit ! B e tho u me impetuous one !

,

D rive my dead thoughts over the universe

Like withered leaves to quicken a new birth
And, by the incantation of this v ers e ,

S catter ,
a s fro m an une x tinguished hearth
A shes and sp arks my words among mankind
,

Be through my lip s to unawakened earth

The trumpet of a prophecy ! O , wm d ,

If Winter comes can Spring b e far behin d

,
?
 A N OD E ,

[ w a rr r n m O CTO B ER
, 1 8 19 ,B E FO R E T H E S P A N I A n -D s HA D RECOVER ED
TH R L I B E R TY
E I .
]

A RI S E arise arise
, ,

There is blood on the earth th a t denies y e bre a d

B e y our wounds like eyes
To weep for the dead the dead the dead , , .

Wh a t other grief were it j ust to p ay ?

Yo u r s ons your wives your brethren, were they

, ,

Who said they were slain on the battle ay

d 7

Awaken awaken awaken

, ,

'

The slave and the tyrant ar e twi n -

born foes ;
B e the cold
’

c hal n s shaken
To the d u st where your k indred repose repose ,
19 4 A N O DE .

Their bones in the grave will start and move ,

When they hear the voices of those they love ,

M ost loud i n the holy comb at ab ove .

W ave wave high the banner

,

Wh en freedom is riding to con quest by

Though the slaves that fan h er
B e famine and toil ,
gi ving sigh for sigh .

And ye who attend he r imperial car ,

Lift not your hands in the b and ed war ,

B ut in h er def e nce whose children ye are .

Glory glory glory

, , ,

To those who h ave greatly su ffered and d one !

N ever nam e in story
Was gre a ter than that which ye shall have wo n .

C onquerors have conquered their foes alone ,

Whose revenge pride and p ower they have o verthrown

, ,

R ide ye more victorious over your o wn

, , .

B ind , bind every brow

With c r o wn al s of violet ivy , ,
a nd pine
H ide the blo o d stains
-
now

With hues which s weet nature has m a de divin e

 T HE CLOU D .

l B RI N G fresh showers for the thirsting flowers ,

From the seas and the streams

I he ar light shade for the leaves when laid
In their noon day dreams
-
.

From my wings a re shaken the dews tha t waken

The sweet birds every one ,

’
W hen rock ed to rest on their mother s breast ,

As she dances about the sun .

I wield the flail of the lashing hail ,

And whiten the green plains under ,

And then again I dissolve it in rain ,

And laugh as I p ass in thunder .

 THE C LO U D .
19 7

I S ift the sno w on the mounta ins below

.
,

And their great pines gro a n aghast ;

’

’
A nd al l the night ti s my pillow white ,

While I sleep in the arms of the blast .

S ublime on the towers of my skiey bowers ,

Lightning my pilot sits ,

In a c a vern u nder is fettered the thund er ,

It struggles and b o wl s at fits

O ver earth and ocean with gentle motion , ,

This pilot is g u iding me ,

Lured by the love of the genii that move

In the depths of th e purple sea ;
O ver the rills and the crags
, ,
and the hills ,

O v er the lakes and the pl ains ,

Wherever he dream under mountain or stream , ,

The S pirit he loves remains

’
And I all the while b ask in heaven s blu e s mile ,

Whilst he is d i s s o l vm g In ra ms .

The sanguine sunrise with his meteor eyes , ,

An d his burning plumes outspre a d ,

Leaps on the back of my sailing rack ,

When the morning star shines dead ‘

.
193 T HE C LO U D .

As on the j ag of a mountain crag ,

Which an earth quak e rocks an d swi m ,

An e agl e alit one moment may sit

In the light of its golden wings .

And when sunset m ay breathe from the lit sea beneath

, ,

Its ardours of rest and of love ,

And the crimson pall of eve may fall

From the depth of heaven above ,

With wings folded I rest on mine airy nest

, ,

As still as a brooding d ove .

Tha t or b ed maiden with white fire lade n ,

Whom mortals call the moon ,

’
Glides glimm ering o er my fl e e c e -
like floo r ,

B y the mi d night breezes

strewn ;
And wherever the beat of her unseen feet ,

Which only the a ngels hear ,

M ay have broken the woof of my tent s thin ’

The stars peep behind her and p eer ;

And I laugh to see them whirl and flee ,

Like a swarm of golden bees ,

200 T HE C LO UD .

F or aft
e r the r ai n when w ith never a st ai n,

The pavilio n of heaven is b are ,

And the winds an d sunbeams with their conv e x gle ams ,

B uil d p the u blue dome of air ,

I silently laugh at my o wn cenotaph ,

And out of the c a verns of ra m,

Like a child fro m the womb

?
, like a ghost fro m the tomb ,

I arise and unbuild it again .

 TO A S ! Y LAR ! .

HAI L to thee blithe spirit !

,

B ird thou ever wert

n ,

T hat from heaven or ne a r it

, ,

Po ur e st thy full he a t r

profuse str a i s of unp r emeditated

n

H igher still and higher

From the earth thou s
p r in
g e st

Li ke a clou d of fire
The blue d eep thou wi n g e s t,

singing sti l l dost soar ,

an d so aring e ver s in
g e s t .
202 TO A S ! Y LA R ! .

In the golden lightning

O f the sunken sun ,

’
O er whic h c l o u ds are
'

b r i g htn i n g ,

Thou do st float and run ;

'

an unb odied j oy whose race i s ju s t begun .

The pale purple even

M elts around thy flight
Like a star of heaven ,

In the broad day light -

art uns een but yet I h ear thy

, delight ,

Keen as are the arrows

O f that S ilver sphere ,

W hose intense lamp narrows

In the white d awn clear ,

we h a rdly see , w feel that it is there

e .

All th e earth an d air

With th y voice is loud ,

As ,
when night is bare ,

From one lonely cloud

The mo on r ai n s out her b e a ms an d he a ven
,
O ve rfl o we d .
20 4 To A S ! Y LA R! .

Like a rose embowered

In its own gr een leaves ,

B y warm winds d e fl o We r e d ,

Til l the scent it"

g i ve s

M akes faint with too much Sw eet these heav y winged

-

thieves

S ound of vernal sh owers

On the twinkling gras s ,

R ain awakened flow ers

-

All that e ver was

Joyous an d clear and fresh thy m u sic
, , , surp ass

Teach us sprite or bird

, ,

What sweet thoughts a re thine

I have never heard ,

P raise of love or wine

p a nted forth a floo d of rapture so divine .

C horus H ymen ae al ,

O r triu mph al chaunt ,

M a tched with thine would be all

B ut an empty v a unt ,

A thing wherei n we feel there is some hid d en want .

 TO A S ! YLAR ! .
205

What obj ects are the fountains

'

Of thy happy strain ?

What fields or waves or mountains

, ,
?

What shap es of sky or plain ?

What love of thine O wn kind ? what i gnorance

With thy clear keen j oyance

Langour cannot b e
Shadow of annoyance
N ever c ame near thee
’ ’
Thou lovest ; but n e er knew lo ve s satiety .

W a king or asleep ,

Thou of death must dee m

Thin gs more tru e and deep
Than we mortals dream ,

ho w could thy notes flow in such a stream 7

We look b e fore and after ,

And pine for wh at is n ot

Ou r sincerest laughter
With some p ain is fraught ;
O ur sweetest songs are those th at tell of s ad d e s t tho u g ht .
206 To A S! Y LA R ! .

Yet if we could scorn

H ate ,
and pride and fear
, ;

If we were things b orn

N ot to she d a tear ,

I k now not ho w thy j oy we ever shoul d come near .

B etter than all me a s ures

Of delightful sound ,

B e tter than all treasures

That in b ooks are found ,

skill to poet were , tho u s c o rn e r ground

Teach me half the gladness

That thy brain mus t know ,

Such harmonious madness

Fro m my li ps would fl o w ,

world should listen then as I am listening

, no w.
 O DE TO LIBE RT Y .

As a young eagle soars the morning cloud s amo n g ,

H overing in ’
verse o er its accustomed prey ;
Till from its station in the heaven O F fame
’
The Spirit s whirl win d rapt i t, ~
an d th e r a y
O f the remotest S phere of living fl ame
Which p a ves the void was fro mb ehind it flung ,

As foam from a ship s’

swi ftness ,
when there came
A voice out of the d eep : I wi ll record the same .

The Sun and the serenest M oon sprang forth

The burning stars of the abyss were h u rled
Into the d epths of heaven . The d ae dal earth ,

That islan d in the ocean of the world ,

H ung in its clo d of all s staining air

u -
u :

B ut this divinest u niverse

W a s yet a chaos and a curse ,

For thou wert not : but p ower from worst prod u cing
‘

The S pirit of the be a sts was kindled there ,

‘

And of the birds and of the watery forms

, ,

A nd there was war among them ,

and desp ai r
Within them raging withou t truce or terms
,
 O D E TO LI BERT Y .
9 09

The bosom of th eir viol a ted n u rse

’ ’
G r o an d , for beasts war r d on beasts and worms on worms , ,

And men on n en ; each heart was as a hell of storms .

Man the i mp erial sh ap e the n multiplied

, ,

H is generations under the p avilion

’
Of the S un s throne : p alace and pyramid ,

Temple and prison to m any a sw a rming millio n

, ,

Were as to mountain wol ves their r a gged c a ves

,
-
.

This hum an living multitu de

Was s avage cunning blind
, , ,
an d rud e ,

’
For tho u wert not ; but o er the pop u lous solitude ,

Like one fierc e clo u d over a waste of waves

H ung tyr anny ; beneath sate deified
,

The sister pest congreg a to r of slaves

-

,
‘

Into the shadow of her pinions wi de ;

An archs and priests who feed on gol d an d blood ,

Till with the stain their inmost souls a re dye d ,

D rove the a s tonished herds of

.
m en from every sid e .

0
2 10 O D E To L I BERTY .

The nodding promontories and blue isles , ,

An d cloud like mountains and di v iduous waves

-

Of Greece basked glorious in the open s m

,
iles
Of favouring heav en : from their ench a nted cav es
P r o p he ti c
’

e c ho e s fl ung dim melody .

O n the unapprehensive wild

The vine the corn , ,
th e olive mild ,

G rew savage yet to human use unreconciled

,

And like unfolded flowers b eneath the sea

, ,

’ ’
Like the man s tho u ght dark in th e infant s brai n ,

Like aught that is which wraps what is to be ,

Art s deathles s dre a ms l ay v eiled by many

’
a vein
Of P ari an ston e ; and yet a S p eechless child ,

V ers e murmur d and Philosophy did s tr i n

e , a

H er lid l ess ey es for thee ; when o er the ZE g ’

e an m ain

Athens ar ose a city such a s v ision

B uilds from the purp le cr ags and s i lver towers
2 12 OD E TO LI BERTY .

R eligion v eils her eyes Oppressi on shrinks aghast

A win ged sound of jo y an d love and wonder
, , ,

Which soars where Ex pectation never fl e w ,

R ending the veil of sp ace and time asunder !

One ocean feeds th e clouds and stre ams an d dew , ,

D ue sun illumines heaven ; one spirit vast

With life a n d love makes chaos ever n e w,

As Athens doth the world with thy d elight renew .

Then R ome was ,

and from thy d eep bosom fairest ,

Like a wolf cub-

from a C ad maean M ae n ad fi t

S he drew the milk of greatness tho u gh thy dearest ,

From that E lysian foo d w a s y t unweaned e

An d many a deed of terrible upri ghtness

By thy s weet love was s a nctified ;
And in thy smile an d by thy side
, ,

S aintl y Camil l us lived , and firm A ti l i u s died .

B ut when tears stained thy rob e of vest a l whitenes s ,

And go l d p ro
p h an e d thy capitolian throne ,

S e e th e B a cc h e of
a E u ri pi d es .
 O DE TO L I BERT Y .
213

Thou didst desert with spirit winged lightness

,
-
,

The senate of the tyrants they sunk prone

Slaves of one tyrant : Pal atin us sighed
F aint echoes of Ionian song that tone
Thou didst delay to hear lamenting to disow n
-

, .

V III .

From what H yrcan i an glen or frozen hill ,

Or piny promontory of the Arctic main ,

Or utmos t islet inaccessible ,

D idst thou lam ent the ruin of th y reign ,

Te a ching the woods and waves and ,

‘

d e s ar t roc k s ,

And every N aiad s ice

’
-
col d ur n ,

To t al k in echoes sad and stern ,

Of that sublimest love wh ich m an had d ared Un l e am ?

For neither didst thou watch the wizar d flock s
’ ’
Of the S cald s dreams n or haunt the D rui d s sleep
, .

What if the tears rained through thy shattered locks

Were quickly dried ? for tho u d i d s t
.
groan ,
not weep ,

When from its sea of death to kill an d burn ,

The G alile an s erpent forth did creep ,

A nd m a de thy world a n undistinguish able he ap .

 21 4 O D E To LI B ER T Y .

A thousand ye ars th e E arth cried ,

Wh ere thou ?
And then th e shadow of thy coming fell
’
On S axon Alfred s olive cinctured brow -

An d many a warri or p eopl ed citadel

-

Like rocks which fire lifts out of the fl at deep ,

A rose in sacred Italy ,

’
Frowning o er the tempestuous sea
Of kings and priests and S laves in tower
, , ,
-
cr o wn e d maje s tv
Tha t multitudinous anarchy did S weep ,

And burst around their walls like i dl e fo am , ,

’
Whilst from the hu m an pirit s deep est deep
‘

Stran ge melody with love and awe struck dumb

D issonant arms and Art which cannot die , ,

With divine wand traced on our earthl y home

’
Fit imagery to p ave heaven s everla sting dome .

Thou huntress swi fter th a n the M oon ! th ou terror

O f the wor l d s wol ves
’
! thou b e arer of the qu i ver ,
2 16 O D E TO LI BE RT Y .

And D esolation howled to the destroyer S ave ! ,

’
When like heaven s sun girt by the exhalation
O f its o wn glorious light th ou didst arise , ,

C hasing thy foes from nation unto n ation

'

Like shad ows : as if day h ad cloven the skies

’
At dreaming mid night o er the western wave ,

M e n started ,
staggering with a glad surprise ,

U nder the lightnings of thine unfamiliar eyes .

Thou heaven of eart h ! what sp ells could pall thee then ,

In ominous eclipse ? a thousand years

B red from the slim e Of deep O ppressio n s den ’
,

D yed all thy liquid light with blood and tears ,

Till thy sweet stars could weep the stain away ;

H ow lik e B accha n als of bloo d
R oun d France the ghastly vintage stoo d
, ,
’

’ ’
D estruction s sceptred slaves and Folly s mitr ed brood ,

When one like them but mIg hti e r far than they
, , ,

Th e An arch of thine o wn bewildered p ower s

R ose : armies mingled in obscure array,
Like c louds with cloud s d arkening the s a cred bower s
,

O f serene he a ven . He ,
by the p as t pursued ,
 OD E TO LI BE RT Y . 2 17

R ests with those dead but unforgotten hours

, ,

Whose ghosts scare victor kings in their ancestr a l towers .

! III .

E ngland yet sleeps was s he not called of ol d ?

.

Spai n calls her n o w, as with its thrilling thunder

V esuvius wakens £E tna ,
and the cold
Sno w crags by its reply are clo ven in sun d er
-

£E O
’
O er th e lit waves every li an isle
From P i the cu s a to P elorus
H owls and leaps and glares in ch orus
, ,
‘

They cry B e dim ye lamps f h

,
suspended o er us
o
~
e av e n
’
.

H er chains are threads of gold h need b ut smile ,

S e

’
And they dissol ve ; but Sp ain s were links of steel ,

’
Till bit to dust by virtue s keenest file .

Twins of a single destiny app eal

To the eternal years enthroned b efore us ,

In the dim West impress us fr o m a seal ,

All ye have thought a nd done ! Tim e cannot d are conce al .

218 O DE T O L I BE RT Y .

! IV .

Tomb of Arminius render up thy dea d ,

’
Till ,
like a sta ndard from a watch tower s staff -

H is soul m ay stream over the tyrant s head ’

Thy vic tory sh all be his ep itaph ,

Wild B acchanal of truth s mysterious wine ;

’

King deluded
-
G ermany,
H is dead S pirit lives in thee .

Why do we fear or hO p e ? thou art al read y free

’

And thou , lost P aradise of thi s d i vi n e

And glorious world thou flowery wildern ess !

Thou island of eternity ! thou shrine
Where desolatio n cloth ed with loveliness ,

Wo rship s th e thing thou wert ! 0 Italy ,

G a ther thy bloo d into thy he a rt ; repress

The b e asts who ma k e th e i r dens thy s a cre d p al a ces .

0, th a t the free would st amp the impious n am e

Of “into the dust ! or write it there

3
,
920 O D E TO L BE I R TY .

Of its o wn aweless s oul , or Of '

the p o wer unknown
'

O that
,
th e wo r d s which make the thoughts O bscure
From which they spring as clouds of glimmering
, de w
’
From a white lake blot heaven s blue p ortraiture ,

Were stript of their thin masks and various hue

And frowns and smiles and splendours n ot their o wn ,

Til l in the nakedness of false and true

They stand before their Lord each to rece i ve its due , .

! V II .

H e who t au ght m a n to vanquish whatso ever

C an b e between the cradle an d the gr a ve
C r owne d him the King of Life . O vain endeavour !
I f on his o wn high will a willing slave ,

H e h a s enthroned the oppression and the oppressor .

What if earth can clothe and feed

m
A plest millions at their n eed ,

And p o wer in thought b e as the tree wi thin the seed 7

O what i f Art an ardent intercessor
a
, , ,
’Q

D riving on fiery wings to N atu r

’
e s throne ,

C heck s the gre a t moth er stooping to c aress her ,

An d cri es : G i ve me thy child dominion

, ,

O ve r al l hei ght an d depth ?

if Li fe c an br e ed
 O D E TO L I B E RT Y .

221

New wants and wealth from those who toil and groan
,

R en d of thy gifts and h ers a thousand fol d for one .

! V III .

C ome Thou ,
but lead out of the inmos t cav e
’
O f man s deep spirit ,
’
a s th e morning st ar -

B eckons the Sun from the a n w a ve ,

Wisdom . I he ar th e p e nn o n s o f her c ar
S e lf moving like clou d chari oted by fl a me ;
-
,

C omes she not an d com e ye not

, ,

Rulers pf eternal thought ,

’
To j udge with solemn truth life s ill app ortione d lot
, ,
-

B lind Love ,
an d equal Justice and ,
the F ame
.

O f what h as been the ,

H ope of what will be ?
0, Liberty ! if such could b e thy n a me
Wert thou disj oine d from these or they from thee "

If thine or theirs were tre a sures to be bought

B y blood or te ars h a ve not the wise and free
,

Wept te a rs and b l ood l i k e te ars

,
Th so l em h ar mony ? e n
292 OD E To L I BERT Y .

! I! .

Paused an d the S pirit of th at mighty S i n ging

, ,

To its abyss was suddenly with drawn

Then as a wild swan when sublimely winging
, ,

Its p ath athwart the thunder smoke of d awn -

,

S inks headlong through the aerial gol den light

O n th e heavy sounding plain ,

When th e bolt has pierce d its br a in ;

As summer clouds dissolve unburthened o f their r ai n ;
,

As a far taper fades with fading night ,

As a brie f insect d i es with dying day ,

M y song ,
i ts pinions disarrayed of might ,

D rooped o er it closed th e echoes far a w ay

’

Of the great voice which did its flight sustain ,

As waves which lately p aved his watery w ay

H iss round a dro wner s ’
he a d in their tempestuous p la y .

TH E EN D .