Lift not the Painted Veil which those who Live
The speaker warns against lifting the painted veil called Life, behind which Fear and Hope weave shadows over a dreary chasm. The speaker recalls someone who lifted it, found nothing to love or approve in the world, and sought truth without finding it.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Sonnet, Philosophical Poetry, Allegorical Poetry · 171 words
First lines
Lift not the painted veil which those who live / Call Life: though unreal shapes be pictured there, / And it but mimic all we would believe / With colours idly spread,-behind, lurk Fear / And Hope, twin Destinies; who ever weave / Their shadows, o'er the chasm, sightless and drear. / I knew one who had lifted it-he sought, / For his lost heart was tender, things to love / But found them not, alas! nor was there aught / The world contains, the which he could approve. / Through the unheeding many he did move, / A splendour among shadows, a bright blot / Upon this gloomy scene, a Spirit that strove / For truth, and like the Preacher found it not.
What this Textopian page supports
Lift not the Painted Veil which those who Live 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: Sonnet, Philosophical Poetry, Allegorical Poetry
- Length: 171 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Lift not the Painted Veil which those who Live 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
Genres
- Sonnet — Fourteen rhymed lines move from a warning about life's appearances to the speaker's account of a disappointed seeker.
- Philosophical Poetry — The contrast between life's deceptive appearances and an unsuccessful search for truth questions what the world offers beneath belief.
- Allegorical Poetry — Life becomes a painted veil, while personified Fear and Hope weave shadows behind it.
Tags
illusion · disillusionment · search for truth · alienation · fear · hope · sonnet