Ode to Naples by Percy Bysshe Shelley
After recalling Pompeii's ruins and a voyage near Baiae, the speaker hails the proclamation of constitutional government at Naples and urges the city to uphold equal laws and truth. He presents its freedom as a source of hope for other Italian cities, pictures northern armies advancing destructively, and appeals to the spirit of love and beauty to keep Naples free.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Ode, Political Poetry, Lyric Poetry · 2,005 words
First lines
(The Author has connected many recollections of his visit to Pompeii and Baiae with the enthusiasm excited by the intelligence of the proclamation of a Constitutional Government at Naples. This has given a tinge of picturesque and descriptive imagery to the introductory Epodes which depicture these scenes, and some of the majestic feelings permanently connected with the scene of this animating event. -[SHELLEY'S NOTE.])
Epode 1a
Genres
- Ode — Strophes, antistrophes, and epodes frame direct addresses to Naples, repeated salutations, and a concluding appeal for its continued freedom.
- Political Poetry — The verses celebrate constitutional government, demand equal laws, oppose crowned rulers, and portray northern legions threatening Italian cities.
- Lyric Poetry — The speaker's recollections of ruins, wind, and sea give way to impassioned salutations, exhortations, and appeals.
Tags
constitutional government · political freedom · equal laws · Italy · ancient ruins · invasion · ode
What this Textopian page supports
Ode to Naples 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, Lyric Poetry
- Length: 2,005 words
- Structure: 1 section, 25 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for Ode to Naples by Percy Bysshe Shelley
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