A Lament by Percy Bysshe Shelley
The speaker addresses world, life, and time, lamenting a vanished glory that will never return. Day, night, and the changing seasons now bring grief rather than delight.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Elegiac Poetry · 104 words
First lines
O world! O life! O time! / On whose last steps I climb, / Trembling at that where I had stood before; / When will return the glory of your prime? / No more-Oh, never more!
Out of the day and night / A joy has taken flight; / Fresh spring, and summer, and winter hoar, / Move my faint heart with grief, but with delight / No more-Oh, never more!
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — Two short stanzas express the speaker's personal sorrow through direct address and a repeated refrain.
- Elegiac Poetry — The speaker mourns vanished glory and joy, repeatedly declaring that they will never return.
Tags
lost joy · passing time · grief · seasons · lament
What this Textopian page supports
A Lament is listed on Textopian as a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Elegiac Poetry
- Length: 104 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
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