Hymn to the Spirit of Nature
by
Percy Bysshe Shelley
(Poem & Summary)
Shelley was born on 4 August 1792 at
Field Place, Broadridge Heath, near Horsham, West Sussex, England. He was the
eldest son of Sir Timothy Shelley and his wife, Elizabeth Pilfold. He had four
younger sisters and one much younger brother. Shelley’s early childhood was
sheltered and mostly happy. He was particularly close to his sisters and his
mother, who encouraged him to hunt, fish and ride. At age six, he was sent to a
day school run by the vicar of Warnham church, where he displayed an impressive
memory and gift for languages.
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the
major English Romantic poets. He was a superb craftsman, a lyric poet without
rival, and surely one of the most advanced sceptical intellects ever to write a
poem. Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his
achievements in poetry grew steadily following his death and he became an
important influence on subsequent generations of poets including Browning,
Swinburne, Hardy and Yeats.
Shelley also wrote prose fiction and a
quantity of essays on political, social, and philosophical issues. From the
1820s, his poems and political and ethical writings became popular in Owenist,
Chartist, and radical political circles and later drew admirers as diverse as
Karl Marx, Mahatma Gandhi, and George Bernard Shaw.
Hymn to the Spirit Nature
(The
Poem)
Life
of Life! thy lips enkindle
With
their love the breath between them;
And
thy smiles before they dwindle
Make
the cold air fire; then screen them
In
those looks where whoso gazes
Faints,
entangled in their mazes.
Child
of Light! thy limbs are burning
Through
the vest which seems to hide them,
As
the radiant lines of morning
Through
the clouds, ere they divide them:
And
this atmosphere divinest
Shrouds
thee wheresoe’er thou shinest.
Fair
are others; none beholds thee;
But
thy voice sounds low and tender
Like
the fairest, for if folds thee
From
the sight, that liquid splendor;
And
all feel, yet see thee never, —
As
I feel now, lost forever!
Lamp
of Earth! where’er thou movest
Its
dim shapes are clad with brightness.
And
the souls of whom thou lovest
Walk
upon the winds with lightness
Till
they fail, as I am failing,
Dizzy,
lost, yet unbewailing!
‘Hymn to the Spirit of Nature’s is a
delightful lyric taken from Shelley’s poetic drama Prometheus Unbound (Act II,
scene v). It is a song sung by a voice in the air and addressed to Asia, who,
in the play, represents Intellectual Beauty, or the Soul of the world, or as
the title above indicates, the Spirit of Nature. Prometheus is the spirit of
love in mankind, while Asia is the spirit of love in Nature. The union of
Prometheus and Asia in Shelley’s play is the union of the spirit of love in man
with the spirit of love in Nature. Their union signifies the end of evil in the
universe.
This song in praise of Asia is sung by
an unknown voice in the air. Perhaps it is the voice of Prometheus who loves
Asia. It is a tribute to Asia. Asia is the source of life in Nature. There is
such love in Asia’s lips that it lights up the breath which passes through her
lips. There is such heat in her smiles, that they warm the cold air. The cold
air becomes warm in the fire of Asia’s smiles. Asia’s smiles are so bright and
lovely that nobody can endure their brightness and loveliness. Therefore, she
is asked to screen or conceal her smiles in her eyes. Her eyes are like
intricate and bewildering paths. By looking into her eyes, a man would get lost
and feel dazed.
Asia is called the Child of Light and she is very
bright and shining. Asia is so bright that rays of light seem to be emanating
from her body. Her body seems to be burning. Even her clothes cannot hide the
radiance of her body. The brightness of her body is visible through her clothes
just as the brightness of dawn becomes visible through clouds before the clouds
are parted by the sun. Wherever bright Asia may go, she is surrounded by this
heavenly atmosphere. She is a divine Spirit enveloped in heavenly light.
There are other fair spirits in the universe,
but Asia surpasses them all in beauty. Nobody can see Asia, because her
splendour dazzles the eyes. Her voice is sweet, soft and gentle like the voice
of the fairest of spirits. The glorious melody of her voice seems to be screening
her from the sight of others. Everybody is aware of her presence but nobody can
see her. Prometheus too feels her presence and is completely lost in her glory,
splendour and divine beauty.
Asia is regarded as the lamp, that
sheds its light on the earth. Wherever she goes, her beauty and brightness
illumine the dark objects on the earth. Those, whom Asia loves are very
fortunate. Because of the power of her love, their souls are enabled to walk
lightly upon the breezes. Those souls can walk upon the breezes till, in the
end, they collapse just as the speaker (Prometheus) is about to collapse.
The speaker is feeling giddy or
confused because of the dazzling beauty of Asia and because of the intoxication
of his love for her. In spite of that, to be in love with Asia is in itself a
matter of pride. Though the lover is lost in his profound love for her, he does
not complain or grumble.
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