Ode to Liberty by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Stirred by liberty in Spain, the speaker records a voice recounting Liberty’s rise, suppression, and return through the histories of Athens, Rome, and later Europe. The voice addresses England, Germany, and Italy, attacks kings and priests, and calls for freedom joined with wisdom, love, and equal justice. When the voice withdraws, the speaker’s song loses its strength.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Ode, Political Poetry, Philosophical Poetry · 3,582 words
First lines
Yet, Freedom, yet, thy banner, torn but flying, / Streams like a thunder-storm against the wind. -BYRON.
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What this Textopian page supports
Ode to Liberty 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: Ode, Political Poetry, Philosophical Poetry
- Length: 3,582 words
- Structure: 1 section, 40 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Ode to Liberty 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
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Genres
- Ode — Nineteen numbered stanzas address personified Liberty, celebrating her power and invoking her return.
- Political Poetry — The verse celebrates freedom in Spain, condemns kings and priests, and calls on European peoples to resist oppression.
- Philosophical Poetry — The voice questions the value of material abundance under oppression and insists that Liberty requires wisdom, love, and equal justice.
Tags
liberty · tyranny · monarchy · religious authority · European history · justice · ode