Fragment: ‘Alas! this is not what I Thought Life
The speaker laments that life differs from what they expected, despite having anticipated crime, hatred, and suffering. Before going among others, they fortified their vulnerable heart with calm endurance to bear scorn, fear, and hate.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Melancholic Poetry · 112 words
First lines
Alas! this is not what I thought life was. / I knew that there were crimes and evil men, / Misery and hate; nor did I hope to pass / Untouched by suffering, through the rugged glen. / In mine own heart I saw as in a glass / The hearts of others... And when / I went among my kind, with triple brass / Of calm endurance my weak breast I armed, / To bear scorn, fear, and hate, a woful mass!
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — A first-person speaker expresses disappointment and recalls inward preparations for suffering in nine lines of verse.
- Melancholic Poetry — The opening lament leads into an account of vulnerability, anticipated suffering, and the burden of scorn, fear, and hate.
Tags
disillusionment · suffering · endurance · hatred
What this Textopian page supports
Fragment: ‘Alas! this is not what I Thought Life was' 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, Melancholic Poetry
- Length: 112 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Fragment: ‘Alas! this is not what I Thought Life was' by Percy Bysshe Shelley
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