CANCELLED PASSAGE. by Percy Bysshe Shelley: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
Shelley composes a love poem for Sophia Stacey, a young woman he encountered in Florence in 1819, celebrating her beauty, her expressive eyes, her musical talent, and the profound impact she has on him.
The poem
[Published by W.M. Rossetti, “Complete Poetical Works”, 1870.] O pillow cold and wet with tears! Thou breathest sleep no more! *** TO SOPHIA [MISS STACEY]. [Published by W.M. Rossetti, “Complete Poetical Works”, 1870.] 1. Thou art fair, and few are fairer Of the Nymphs of earth or ocean; They are robes that fit the wearer— Those soft limbs of thine, whose motion Ever falls and shifts and glances _5 As the life within them dances. 2. Thy deep eyes, a double Planet, Gaze the wisest into madness With soft clear fire,—the winds that fan it Are those thoughts of tender gladness _10 Which, like zephyrs on the billow, Make thy gentle soul their pillow. 3. If, whatever face thou paintest In those eyes, grows pale with pleasure, If the fainting soul is faintest _15 When it hears thy harp’s wild measure, Wonder not that when thou speakest Of the weak my heart is weakest. 4. As dew beneath the wind of morning, As the sea which whirlwinds waken, _20 As the birds at thunder’s warning, As aught mute yet deeply shaken, As one who feels an unseen spirit Is my heart when thine is near it. ***
Shelley composes a love poem for Sophia Stacey, a young woman he encountered in Florence in 1819, celebrating her beauty, her expressive eyes, her musical talent, and the profound impact she has on him. Each stanza focuses on a distinct attribute—her physical form, her gaze, her skill with the harp, and ultimately the deep emotional stirring she ignites within him. In the concluding lines, Shelley likens his heart to dew, the sea, birds, and a person feeling the presence of a ghost—all entities moved by uncontrollable forces.
Line-by-line
Thou art fair, and few are fairer / Of the Nymphs of earth or ocean;
Thy deep eyes, a double Planet, / Gaze the wisest into madness
If, whatever face thou paintest / In those eyes, grows pale with pleasure,
As dew beneath the wind of morning, / As the sea which whirlwinds waken,
Tone & mood
The tone is gentle and respectful, with an undercurrent of longing. Shelley isn't in pain — he's captivated. The first two stanzas have a lightness, almost playful in how he piles on compliments, but by the fourth stanza, the mood shifts to something more vulnerable. The last similes come across as genuinely amazed rather than just flattering, as if he's attempting to describe a physical feeling that's hard to articulate.
Symbols & metaphors
- The double Planet (her eyes) — Planets naturally pull things toward them with their gravitational force. Referring to Sophia's eyes as a "double Planet" portrays her gaze as a powerful force that influences everyone nearby, including the poet, regardless of their desires.
- The harp — The harp has long been a classical symbol of lyric poetry and the soul. Sophia not only symbolizes this but also played the harp herself. Shelley, however, uses it to imply that her music penetrates the listener's inner life, creating a sense of unease — the soul "faints" at the sound.
- Dew, sea, birds, and the unseen spirit — The final group of similes illustrates objects that react to unseen influences. Collectively, they depict the poet's heart as highly sensitive—reacting to Sophia's presence just as nature responds to wind, storms, and the mysterious.
- Zephyrs on the billow — Zephyrs are the softest of winds. Putting them on a wave (billow) implies that Sophia's delicate thoughts hardly ripple the surface of her soul — she remains serene, while the poet is the one being tossed around.
Historical context
Shelley wrote this poem in Florence in late 1819 for Sophia Stacey, a ward of his uncle who came to visit him while he was living abroad with Mary Shelley. Sophia was a talented singer and harpist, clearly enchanting Shelley during her short stay. The poem never saw publication in his lifetime; it was published posthumously in W.M. Rossetti's 1870 edition of his complete works. 1819 was one of Shelley's most prolific years: he also wrote "Ode to the West Wind," "The Mask of Anarchy," and "Prometheus Unbound" during this time. The poem occupies an intriguing personal space—Shelley was married, and it expresses genuine infatuation rather than just a formal compliment. The "Cancelled Passage" printed above it (just two lines) likely comes from the same manuscript, hinting that the poem was revised before it reached its final form.
FAQ
Sophia Stacey was under the care of Shelley's uncle, Robert Parker. During the winter of 1819–1820, she visited Shelley and Mary in Florence, with a chaperone by her side. A talented singer and harpist, she inspired Shelley to write several poems during her stay. Afterward, she married, and they did not keep in touch significantly.
It's a two-line fragment — "O pillow cold and wet with tears! / Thou breathest sleep no more!" — that Rossetti included with the poem since it was on the same manuscript. Shelley crossed it out, which is why it's referred to as "cancelled." It could be an earlier draft opening for the poem or a completely separate fragment. Its mournful tone stands in stark contrast to the warmer poem that comes after.
Shelley describes Sophia's two eyes as a pair of planets. This metaphor operates on two levels: planets shine brightly and are stunning, but they also have a gravitational force. Her gaze, much like the gravity of a planet, attracts people and can be overwhelming — even "the wisest" can be driven to madness by it.
It's both, but the fourth stanza clearly leans toward love — or at least a strong infatuation. Shelley doesn't just admire Sophia from afar; he admits that his heart races when she's close. The similes at the end (dew, sea, birds, a person sensing a ghost) are too emotionally charged to be simple flattery.
Each six-line stanza follows an ABABCC rhyme scheme. The first four lines alternate rhymes (fairer/wearer, ocean/motion), while the last two lines create a rhyming couplet (glances/dances). This structure allows each stanza to build towards a satisfying resolution at the end.
Shelley was a devoted Romantic, believing that nature was the most powerful way to express deep emotions. By stacking images of elements influenced by unseen forces — dew blown by the wind, the sea stirred by a whirlwind, birds startled by thunder — he shows that his feelings for Sophia aren’t just choices or thoughts; they’re physical, instinctive reactions, much like the weather.
When Shelley writes, "when thou speakest / Of the weak my heart is weakest," he’s highlighting Sophia’s compassionate nature — she advocates for vulnerable people. He suggests that in those moments, he feels most affected by her, as her kindness touches him more deeply than her beauty ever could.
No. It was never published during Shelley’s lifetime — he passed away in 1822 at the age of 29. Readers didn't get to see it until 1870, when W.M. Rossetti (brother of the poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti) put together the first significant edition of Shelley's complete works. This piece remains one of his lesser-known lyrics, often overshadowed by the more prominent poems he wrote that same year.