CONCLUSION. by Percy Bysshe Shelley: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This is the closing section of Shelley's longer poem *The Sensitive Plant*, and it poses a profound question: when beautiful things die, do they truly vanish, or do *we* simply lose the ability to perceive them?
The poem
Whether the Sensitive Plant, or that Which within its boughs like a Spirit sat, _115 Ere its outward form had known decay, Now felt this change, I cannot say. Whether that Lady’s gentle mind, No longer with the form combined Which scattered love, as stars do light, _120 Found sadness, where it left delight, I dare not guess; but in this life Of error, ignorance, and strife, Where nothing is, but all things seem, And we the shadows of the dream, _125 It is a modest creed, and yet Pleasant if one considers it, To own that death itself must be, Like all the rest, a mockery. That garden sweet, that lady fair, _130 And all sweet shapes and odours there, In truth have never passed away: ’Tis we, ’tis ours, are changed; not they. For love, and beauty, and delight, There is no death nor change: their might _135 Exceeds our organs, which endure No light, being themselves obscure. NOTES: _19 lovely Harvard manuscript, 1839; lively 1820. _23 of the morning 1820, 1839; of morning Harvard manuscript. _26 snow Harvard manuscript, 1839; now 1820. _28 And lilies were drooping, white and wan Harvard manuscript. _32 Leaf by leaf, day after day Harvard manuscript; Leaf after leaf, day after day 1820; Leaf after leaf, day by day 1839. _63 mist]mists Harvard manuscript. _96 and sudden flight]and their sudden flight the Harvard manuscript. _98 And under]Under Harvard manuscript. _114 Whether]And if Harvard manuscript. _118 Whether]Or if Harvard manuscript. ***
This is the closing section of Shelley's longer poem *The Sensitive Plant*, and it poses a profound question: when beautiful things die, do they truly vanish, or do *we* simply lose the ability to perceive them? Shelley suggests that love, beauty, and joy are lasting — it's our own limited senses that diminish and evolve, not the things we cherish. It's a comforting notion presented as a modest conjecture.
Line-by-line
Whether the Sensitive Plant, or that / Which within its boughs like a Spirit sat,
Whether that Lady's gentle mind, / No longer with the form combined
I dare not guess; but in this life / Of error, ignorance, and strife,
It is a modest creed, and yet / Pleasant if one considers it,
That garden sweet, that lady fair, / And all sweet shapes and odours there,
For love, and beauty, and delight, / There is no death nor change: their might
Tone & mood
The tone is softly philosophical and soothing. Shelley doesn't preach or express grief dramatically — he reflects thoughtfully, acknowledges his uncertainty, and reaches a calm, almost tender certainty. There's a gentleness to it, yet genuine intellectual confidence lies beneath. It feels like someone who has experienced grief and emerged on the other side with a belief they truly embrace, rather than one they are merely acting out.
Symbols & metaphors
- The Sensitive Plant — Throughout the larger poem, the sensitive plant (a real plant that folds its leaves when touched) symbolizes the human soul — fragile, reactive, and open to external influences. In the Conclusion, it signifies any living entity that appears to fade away and vanish.
- The Lady — The lady who tended the garden earlier in the poem represents pure, selfless love and beauty. Her death marks the poem's most significant loss, and in the conclusion, she transforms into a symbol of all the beautiful things that seem to fade away.
- Stars and light — The image of love scattered "as stars do light" evokes a sense of natural, effortless radiance. Stars also symbolize endurance—they shine even when we can't see them, hinting at the poem's concluding idea that beauty endures beyond our ability to perceive it.
- Shadows of the dream — Shelley describes humans as 'the shadows of the dream,' taking inspiration from Platonic philosophy. We aren't the true entities — we're faint echoes of a more profound reality. This perspective turns the typical assumption on its head: it's not the beautiful things that are illusions; it's *us*.
- The garden — The garden represents a beautiful space and symbolizes an ideal world—one that is organized, fragrant, and filled with love. The poem laments its visible decay, but the Conclusion argues that the garden's essence has never truly died.
- Obscure organs — Our senses and minds are often called 'obscure'—dimmed or restricted. This symbolizes the core of human limitation: we confuse our own poor perception with the loss of beauty, when in truth, it is our own vision that is fading.
Historical context
Shelley wrote *The Sensitive Plant* in 1820, a remarkably productive year that also saw the creation of *Prometheus Unbound* and *Ode to the West Wind*. During this time, he was living in Italy, having chosen voluntary exile from England, and was deeply immersed in Platonic philosophy — the belief that the physical world merely reflects a more perfect, lasting reality. The 'Conclusion' serves as a coda to a three-part poem centered on a garden, its governing Lady, and the eventual decline of that garden. Shelley was just 27 when he penned it and would tragically drown in the Gulf of Spezia two years later at the age of 29. The poem argues that beauty and love endure, while human perception ultimately fades, contributing to an ongoing Romantic dialogue about mortality, the soul, and what, if anything, persists after death. It also echoes Shelley's own sorrow from the loss of his children and close friends in the years leading up to its writing.
FAQ
Both, really. Shelley begins with a sense of loss — a once-beautiful garden is now decayed, and a cherished Lady has passed away — and gradually moves toward a hopeful conclusion. The central idea is that death is a 'mockery' because love and beauty never truly die; it's just our ability to see them that diminishes. So, it’s a poem about death that ultimately highlights the enduring nature of beauty.
Shelley draws from Platonic philosophy, which suggests that the physical world merely reflects a perfect, ideal reality. By referring to us as 'shadows of the dream,' he implies that humans are the insubstantial entities, while the beautiful ideas like love and delight are the true ideals. This challenges our typical thinking: we often view beautiful things as delicate and ourselves as solid, but Shelley argues that it's actually the opposite.
Shelley was well-known for his atheism—he was even expelled from Oxford for penning a pamphlet that defended it. This poem isn’t religious in the Christian tradition. The 'afterlife' he talks about is more about philosophy: love and beauty exist on a plane that goes beyond the physical, not because God upholds them, but because they are more genuine than material things. It aligns more with Plato’s ideas than with the Bible.
The sensitive plant (*Mimosa pudica*) is a real plant that folds its leaves inward when touched—it recoils from the world. Shelley uses it in the longer poem to symbolize a tender, responsive soul that loves deeply but is easily wounded. In the Conclusion, it represents any living thing that appears to wither and fade away.
He's referring to his own belief system as simple and unassuming. He's not asserting the authority of religion or philosophy — rather, he's offering a gentle idea that brings him comfort, hoping it might do the same for you. The term 'modest' plays an important role: it prevents the poem from coming across as preachy and makes the comfort feel genuine instead of forced.
Because if love, beauty, and delight are eternal and it’s just our perception that falters, then death is an illusion—a trick our limited senses play on us. What seems like death is really just our fading ability to see what remains. When Shelley calls it a 'mockery,' she suggests that death isn't the overwhelming, conclusive event it seems to be.
The three parts of the poem before this depict a lovely garden cared for by a devoted Lady, her death, and the garden's eventual decline into ugliness and decay. The Conclusion takes a step back from this story and poses the question: was any of that real? Shelley's response suggests that the beauty was genuine and lasting — what we perceived as decay was merely the limitations of human perception coming into play.
It's not a sonnet. The Conclusion uses rhyming couplets and follows a steady four-beat (tetrameter) rhythm — just like the form Shelley employs in *The Sensitive Plant*. The close, paired rhymes create a feeling of inevitability and calm that fits well with its philosophical and conclusive tone.