Fragment: ‘a Gentle Story of Two Lovers Young'
The speaker invokes a tale of two young lovers who met in innocence and died in sorrow, shadowed by a selfish heart's rancour. The speaker then presents love as an unquenchable light from Heaven that cheers the innocent.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Love Poetry, Reflective Poetry · 120 words
First lines
A gentle story of two lovers young, / Who met in innocence and died in sorrow, / And of one selfish heart, whose rancour clung / Like curses on them; are ye slow to borrow / The lore of truth from such a tale? / Or in this world's deserted vale, / Do ye not see a star of gladness / Pierce the shadows of its sadness,- / When ye are cold, that love is a light sent / From Heaven, which none shall quench, to cheer the innocent?
Genres
- Love Poetry — The verse recalls two innocent lovers and describes love as a heavenly light that sustains the innocent.
- Reflective Poetry — The speaker questions listeners about what the lovers' tale teaches and whether love offers gladness amid sadness.
Tags
young lovers · innocence · sorrow · rancour · heavenly love
What this Textopian page supports
Fragment: ‘a Gentle Story of Two Lovers Young' 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: Love Poetry, Reflective Poetry
- Length: 120 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Fragment: ‘a Gentle Story of Two Lovers Young' by Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph