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Another Version of the Same by Percy Bysshe Shelley

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This is a wedding song — or epithalamium — intended for boys and girls celebrating a couple's wedding night.

Poet
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Core theme
Beauty
The PoemFull text

Another Version of the Same

Percy Bysshe Shelley

[Published by Rossetti, “Complete Poetical Works of P. B. S.”, 1870, from the Trelawny manuscript of Edward Williams’s play, “The Promise: or, A Year, a Month, and a Day”.] BOYS SING: Night! with all thine eyes look down! Darkness! weep thy holiest dew! Never smiled the inconstant moon On a pair so true. Haste, coy hour! and quench all light, _5 Lest eyes see their own delight! Haste, swift hour! and thy loved flight Oft renew! GIRLS SING: Fairies, sprites, and angels, keep her! Holy stars! permit no wrong! _10 And return, to wake the sleeper, Dawn, ere it be long! O joy! O fear! there is not one Of us can guess what may be done In the absence of the sun:— _15 Come along! BOYS: Oh! linger long, thou envious eastern lamp In the damp Caves of the deep! GIRLS: Nay, return, Vesper! urge thy lazy car! _20 Swift unbar The gates of Sleep! CHORUS: The golden gate of Sleep unbar, When Strength and Beauty, met together, Kindle their image, like a star _25 In a sea of glassy weather. May the purple mist of love Round them rise, and with them move, Nourishing each tender gem Which, like flowers, will burst from them. _30 As the fruit is to the tree May their children ever be! ***

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

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§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

This is a wedding song — or epithalamium — intended for boys and girls celebrating a couple's wedding night. The boys wish for the night to last forever so the lovers can enjoy their time together without interruption, while the girls feel a bit anxious and hope for dawn to arrive quickly. In the end, everyone comes together to wish the couple love, beauty, and a family.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Night! with all thine eyes look down! / Darkness! weep thy holiest dew!

    Editor's note

    The boys start by invoking Night as a protective figure. "All thine eyes" refers to the stars, with the night sky envisioned as a vigilant face. "Holiest dew" views the darkness as sacred, resembling a blessing bestowed upon the couple.

  2. Never smiled the inconstant moon / On a pair so true.

    Editor's note

    The moon is referred to as "inconstant" due to its changing shape each night—a classic symbol of fickleness. The boys claim that even this ever-changing moon has never seen a couple as faithful and genuine as this one. That's quite a bold compliment.

  3. Haste, coy hour! and quench all light, / Lest eyes see their own delight!

    Editor's note

    The boys wish the hours of night would speed up and extinguish all the lights, granting the lovers complete privacy. "Lest eyes see their own delight" adds a playful, teasing touch — suggesting that even the lovers’ own eyes should be shielded from witnessing their joy, as it's nearly too overwhelming to handle.

  4. Fairies, sprites, and angels, keep her! / Holy stars! permit no wrong!

    Editor's note

    The girls adopt a protective and anxious tone, invoking every supernatural guardian they can think of—fairies, sprites, angels, stars—to keep an eye on the bride. You can really feel the blend of excitement and worry in the later line "O joy! O fear!"

  5. O joy! O fear! there is not one / Of us can guess what may be done

    Editor's note

    This is the emotional core of the girls' verse. They candidly express their lack of knowledge about what the wedding night will bring, acknowledging that this uncertainty stirs both joy and fear simultaneously. It's a heartfelt and genuine moment — Shelley doesn't pretend the girls are just happy; they're truly unsure.

  6. Oh! linger long, thou envious eastern lamp / In the damp / Caves of the deep!

    Editor's note

    Back to the boys, now speaking directly to the morning star (or the sun). They ask it to remain hidden in its underwater caves — a mythical image of the sun resting beneath the ocean at night. The word "envious" adds an interesting layer: the sun longs to rise and take back the sky, and the boys feel resentment for that.

  7. Nay, return, Vesper! urge thy lazy car! / Swift unbar / The gates of Sleep!

    Editor's note

    The girls face off against the boys head-on. Vesper represents the evening star, yet the girls here seem to refer to it more broadly as dawn—they long for morning to return and open the "gates of Sleep," signifying their desire for night to be over and for the couple to awaken safely. The short, impactful lines create a sense of urgency in this section.

  8. The golden gate of Sleep unbar, / When Strength and Beauty, met together,

    Editor's note

    The complete chorus unites boys and girls. "Strength and Beauty" represent the groom and bride, seen in classical tradition as ideal partners. The imagery of opening the golden gate of Sleep evokes the couple stepping into a paradise — a significant moment of transition.

  9. May the purple mist of love / Round them rise, and with them move,

    Editor's note

    "Purple" during Shelley's time was linked to royalty, wealth, and deep emotion. The mist of love is envisioned as a tangible presence — a warm, colorful cloud that envelops and accompanies the couple. It's a beautiful, sensory gift.

  10. As the fruit is to the tree / May their children ever be!

    Editor's note

    The chorus ends with a hope for children who are as natural and destined a result of the couple as fruit is from a tree. This warm, organic image anchors the mythological language in something tangible and genuine.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

Playful yet ceremonial. The boys are bold and teasing, while the girls come across as tender and slightly nervous. The final chorus feels genuinely warm and celebratory. Shelley keeps everything light—there's no heavy solemnity, just the joyful energy of a wedding night song sung by young voices.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

Night / Darkness
Night feels safe here; it's a protective, sacred space that shields the couple from unwanted attention. Viewing darkness as holy turns the typical idea of darkness as a threat on its head.
The inconstant moon
The moon's changing phases have long represented fickleness and unreliability. By bringing it up here, we create a contrast: even this emblem of inconstancy has never witnessed a love as unwavering as this one.
The eastern lamp / Vesper
The eastern lamp symbolizes the rising sun, while Vesper represents the evening star. The boys wish for the sun to linger; the girls long for the evening star (or dawn) to come back. Together, these two figures capture the struggle between wanting the night to endure and seeking the safety of morning.
The golden gate of Sleep
A mythological threshold — the gate that the couple crosses into the intimate realm of their wedding night. Gold represents both worth and holiness; the image portrays the night as a sacred space.
Fruit and tree
The closing simile likens future children to fruit that grows naturally from a tree. This comparison anchors the poem's grand, mythological language in something real and tangible, concluding with a sense of natural abundance.
Purple mist of love
Purple suggests wealth and deep emotion. The mist is envisioned as a vibrant, flowing entity enveloping the couple—love made nearly tangible, akin to an atmosphere they bring along.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Shelley composed this song for Edward Williams's play *The Promise: or, A Year, a Month, and a Day*. Williams was a close friend of Shelley during the last years of his life — both tragically drowned in the Gulf of Spezia in 1822. The poem didn't see publication until 1870, when William Michael Rossetti included it in his edition of Shelley's complete works, based on a manuscript held by Trelawny. The form of the poem is an epithalamium, a wedding song with deep roots in Greek and Latin poetry, notably used by Catullus and Spenser. Shelley's rendition is particularly dramatic, with different verses assigned to boys and girls as opposing voices, ultimately bringing them together in a final chorus. This structure reflects the traditions of classical Greek choral poetry and the wedding songs of Catullus.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

What does 'epithalamium' mean and is this one?

Yes, this is an epithalamium—a poem or song meant to celebrate a wedding, often performed on the wedding night. The term comes from the Greek thalamos, which means bridal chamber. Shelley adheres closely to this classical tradition: you'll find competing voices, supernatural invocations, and a final wish for children, all typical elements of the form.

Who are the boys and girls singing to?

They sing to a newly married couple — a bride and groom. The boys call out to the night and the stars, asking them to keep the couple's privacy safe. The girls speak to protective spirits and the dawn. In the final chorus, both groups come together to bless the couple.

Why do the boys and girls want opposite things?

The boys want the night to stretch on so the couple can enjoy their time together without interruption. Meanwhile, the girls feel more anxious and wish for dawn to come swiftly to ensure the bride's safety. This clash between longing and protectiveness drives the poem's drama, reflecting the genuine mixed emotions surrounding a wedding night.

What is 'Vesper' in the girls' second verse?

Vesper is the Latin term for the evening star, referring to Venus when it shines at dusk. In classical wedding poems, Vesper was often called upon to usher in the night, while Hesperus (the same star visible at dawn) was invoked to mark its end. Shelley uses Vesper here in a broader sense to denote the star that heralds the arrival of morning.

What does 'the inconstant moon' mean?

The moon shifts its shape each night—waxing, waning, and sometimes vanishing—making it a classic symbol of fickleness and unpredictability. The boys use it as a contrast: even this famously changeable object has never seen a love as steady and genuine as that of this couple.

Why was this poem published so late — nearly 50 years after Shelley died?

It was preserved only in a manuscript owned by Edward John Trelawny, an adventurer who was a close friend of both Shelley and Byron. Trelawny was known for being quite protective of his Shelley materials. It wasn't until William Michael Rossetti gained access to it that he published it in his 1870 collected edition. Many of Shelley's shorter occasional pieces experienced a similar fate — written for friends, hidden away in private papers, and only coming to light decades later.

What does 'Strength and Beauty, met together' mean in the chorus?

It's a traditional way to describe the groom and bride. In Greek and Roman culture, the ideal man represented strength, while the ideal woman symbolized beauty, and their union was viewed as a perfect match. Shelley uses this shorthand to elevate the couple to a near-mythical status without directly naming them.

Is this poem related to Shelley's more famous work?

It's a small, occasional work when set against Prometheus Unbound or Ode to the West Wind, but it still features Shelley's signature elements: mythological personification, natural imagery that conveys emotions quickly, and a real affection for human love and fertility. Additionally, it demonstrates his talent for writing for performance — the call-and-response format creates a theatrical effect that his more grandiose odes lack.

Citation

Cite this poem

MLA

Shelley, Percy Bysshe. "Another Version of the Same." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/another-version-of-the-same-percy-bysshe-shelley/.

APA

Shelley, P. B. (n.d.). Another version of the same. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/another-version-of-the-same-percy-bysshe-shelley/

TeacherAP Lit Q1 scaffold — preview

Row A — Thesis

1 pt

In 'Another Version of the Same,' Shelley structures competing voices—boys urging darkness to linger, girls calling for dawn's swift return—not to dramatize irreconcilable conflict but to reveal that erotic desire and protective anxiety are …

  • Row B — Evidence + Commentary4 pts
  • Row C — Sophistication1 pt
  • Common student errors
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