A Hate-Song
[Published by Rossetti, “Complete Poetical Works of P. B. S.”, 1870.]
A hater he came and sat by a ditch,
And he took an old cracked lute;
And he sang a song which was more of a screech
’Gainst a woman that was a brute.
***
The Annotated Edition
A Hate-Song by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Read aloud in ~1 minOpen reading mode →
A bitter man sits by a ditch, strumming a broken lute and letting out a song — or more like a screech — filled with pure hatred for a woman he sees as cruel.
- Core theme
- Anger
§01Quick summary
What this poem is about
A bitter man sits by a ditch, strumming a broken lute and letting out a song — or more like a screech — filled with pure hatred for a woman he sees as cruel. It’s a brief, biting, darkly humorous piece that flips the romantic image of a lovesick troubadour on its head. Shelley cleverly uses the love song format to express something entirely different: a tune of disdain.
§02Themes
Recurring themes
§03Line by line
Stanza by stanza, with notes
A hater he came and sat by a ditch, / And he took an old cracked lute;
Editor's note
Shelley sets the scene by intentionally subverting the traditional image of a romantic poet-musician. Instead of a lover by a stream, we find a *hater* by a ditch. The lute — a symbol of courtly love poetry — is old and cracked, suggesting that whatever this man is about to perform will be flawed and awkward from the outset.
And he sang a song which was more of a screech / 'Gainst a woman that was a brute.
Editor's note
The 'song' quickly turns into a screech, which is both amusing and revealing — pure hatred just can't stay melodic. The object of his ire is labeled simply as 'a brute,' a term typically reserved for animals or violent individuals. Shelley flips the usual gender roles found in complaint poetry, where men often lament a cold or unfaithful woman, and cranks the hostility up to an exaggerated, almost cartoonish level.
§04Tone & mood
How this poem feels
Sardonic and intentionally crude. Shelley strikes a tone that hovers between dark humor and an authentic snarl — the comic exaggeration (a screech, a ditch, a cracked lute) prevents it from feeling like a heartfelt outburst, but there's a genuine bite beneath the surface. The entire piece comes off as a playful parody of the troubadour tradition, crafted with a knowing smirk.
§05Symbols & metaphors
Symbols & metaphors
- The cracked lute
- The lute is the quintessential instrument of love poetry and courtly romance. By portraying it as old and cracked, Shelley indicates that the tradition of singing about women has been shattered, corrupted, and twisted into something ugly. The instrument can no longer create beauty because the emotion behind it is far from love.
- The ditch
- Where a romantic poet might sit by a river or under a tree, this man finds his spot by a ditch — a low, muddy, and unglamorous place. This setting grounds the poem in an anti-romantic tone and implies that the hater has fallen to a degraded position, both physically and emotionally.
- The screech
- A screech is when a song fails — it's noise, not music. It shows what happens when art is fueled by hatred instead of beauty or love. The word also adds a touch of humor, preventing the poem from feeling entirely mean-spirited.
§06Form & structure
Form & structure
- Meter
- ballad meter
- Rhyme
- ABCB
§07Historical context
Historical context
Shelley penned this brief piece sometime before his death in 1822, but it didn’t see the light of day until William Michael Rossetti included it in his 1870 collection of Shelley's works. This poem is quite different from Shelley's grand lyrical style seen in *Ode to the West Wind* or *Prometheus Unbound*. Instead, it feels more like a private joke or a quick satirical exercise. It fits into a tradition of anti-Petrarchan verse, which intentionally mocks or twists the conventions of love poetry that date back to Petrarch and the troubadours. Shelley was well-versed in this tradition and clearly had the skill to critique it. The poem’s rough, almost nursery-rhyme meter and straightforward vocabulary imply it was crafted swiftly and for fun—likely as light verse intended for friends rather than for publication.
§08FAQ
Questions readers ask
What is the poem actually about?
It's a four-line comic sketch featuring a man who despises a woman, expressing that hatred through a poorly played and poorly sung 'song.' Shelley is poking fun at the classic lovesick troubadour tradition by swapping out love for hatred and turning beautiful music into a screech.
Is this poem serious or is it a joke?
It's primarily a joke — a dark and sardonic one at that. The over-the-top imagery (the ditch, the cracked lute, the screech) suggests that Shelley is toying with poetic conventions instead of showing real malice. Still, the critique of the romantic tradition carries a meaningful satirical message.
Why is the lute described as 'old and cracked'?
The lute represents the essence of romantic, courtly music. By depicting it as old and cracked, Shelley illustrates that this performance reflects a tarnished and diminished version of that tradition. The state of the instrument mirrors the emotion: neither can create anything beautiful.
What does 'brute' mean in the last line?
A brute refers to a person who is cruel, savage, or behaves in an animalistic way. This term is typically associated with men or beasts, so using it for a woman is intentionally shocking. Shelley amplifies the contempt from the haters to a cartoonish degree, enhancing the comic tone.
Why did Shelley write such a short, simple poem when he's known for long, complex ones?
Poets express themselves in various styles. Shelley could craft lofty, philosophical poems, but he also had a knack for lighter, satirical, and playful works. This piece feels more like a casual exercise or an inside joke among friends than a poem meant for publication—which likely explains why it was only printed nearly 50 years after he passed away.
What tradition is this poem responding to?
It's a parody of the troubadour and Petrarchan love-song tradition, where a male poet typically expresses his devotion or suffering for an idealized woman. Shelley flips this on its head, swapping devotion for hatred, idealization for contempt, and beautiful melodies for a screech, completely transforming the convention.
What is the metre and rhyme scheme?
The poem has a loose ballad meter, alternating between longer and shorter lines, and follows a straightforward ABCB rhyme scheme (lute / brute). This rough, sing-song rhythm fits the parodic nature of the content, making it feel more like a crude folk song than refined poetry.
Citation
Cite this poem
MLA
Shelley, Percy Bysshe. "A Hate-Song." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/a-hate-song-percy-bysshe-shelley/.
APA
Shelley, P. B. (n.d.). A hate-song. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/a-hate-song-percy-bysshe-shelley/
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