Summer and Winter by Percy Bysshe Shelley
A bright afternoon near the end of June finds clouds, fields, reeds and trees sharing in the landscape’s joy. A contrasting winter brings dying birds and fish stiffened in ice; even men gathered with their children around great fires feel cold, prompting a lament for an old homeless beggar.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Nature Poetry, Seasonal Poetry, Social Commentary · 204 words
First lines
It was a bright and cheerful afternoon, / Towards the end of the sunny month of June, / When the north wind congregates in crowds / The floating mountains of the silver clouds / From the horizon-and the stainless sky / Opens beyond them like eternity. / All things rejoiced beneath the sun; the weeds, / The river, and the corn-fields, and the reeds; / The willow leaves that glanced in the light breeze, / And the firm foliage of the larger trees.
Genres
- Nature Poetry — The verses describe clouds, vegetation and a river in June, then birds, fish and frozen lakes in winter.
- Seasonal Poetry — Two verse passages contrast a cheerful June afternoon with the severity of winter.
- Social Commentary — The closing lines contrast men sheltered around fires with an old homeless beggar exposed to winter.
Tags
summer · winter · seasons · freezing weather · homelessness · landscape
What this Textopian page supports
Summer and Winter 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: Nature Poetry, Seasonal Poetry, Social Commentary
- Length: 204 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Summer and Winter by Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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