Rarely, Rarely, Comest Thou
A sorrowful speaker reproaches the absent Spirit of Delight and proposes setting a mournful song to a merry rhythm to attract it. After professing love for nature, quiet solitude, good company, and Love, the speaker begs Delight to make their heart its home again.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Melancholic Poetry · 441 words
First lines
1.
Rarely, rarely, comest thou, / Spirit of Delight! / Wherefore hast thou left me now / Many a day and night? / Many a weary night and day / 'Tis since thou art fled away.
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — Eight rhymed stanzas address the Spirit of Delight directly, expressing the speaker's sorrow, affections, and plea for its return.
- Melancholic Poetry — The speaker counts weary days and nights without delight and asks how someone in pain can regain it.
Tags
absent joy · sorrow · nature · solitude · companionship · personification
What this Textopian page supports
Rarely, Rarely, Comest Thou 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: 441 words
- Structure: 1 section, 16 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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