Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822). From On Death. Robert Bridges, ed. 1916. The Spirit of Man: An Anthology

Robert Bridges, ed. (1844–1930). The Spirit of Man: An Anthology. 1916.

From On Death

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822)


.. O MAN! 1 hold thee on in courage of soul
Through the stormy shades of thy worldly way,
And the billows of cloud that around thee roll
Shall sleep in the light of a wondrous day,
Where hell and heaven shall leave thee free	5
To the universe of destiny.

Who telleth a tale of unspeaking death?
Who lifteth the veil of what is to come?
Who painteth the shadows that are beneath
The wide-winding caves of the peopled tomb?	10
Or uniteth the hopes of what shall be
With the fears and the love for that which we see?

Note 1. Shelley. On Death. The 2nd and last stanzas of five. [back]