O, FOLLOW, FOLLOW! by Percy Bysshe Shelley: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This scene from Shelley's verse drama *Prometheus Unbound* features Asia—a spirit embodying love and nature—who hears mysterious echoes urging her to follow them toward a reunion with Prometheus.
The poem
ASIA: As you speak, your words Fill, pause by pause, my own forgotten sleep With shapes. Methought among these lawns together We wandered, underneath the young gray dawn, And multitudes of dense white fleecy clouds _145 Were wandering in thick flocks along the mountains Shepherded by the slow, unwilling wind; And the white dew on the new-bladed grass, Just piercing the dark earth, hung silently; And there was more which I remember not: _150 But on the shadows of the morning clouds, Athwart the purple mountain slope, was written FOLLOW, O, FOLLOW! as they vanished by; And on each herb, from which Heaven’s dew had fallen, The like was stamped, as with a withering fire; _155 A wind arose among the pines; it shook The clinging music from their boughs, and then Low, sweet, faint sounds, like the farewell of ghosts, Were heard: O, FOLLOW, FOLLOW, FOLLOW ME! And then I said, ‘Panthea, look on me.’ _160 But in the depth of those beloved eyes Still I saw, FOLLOW, FOLLOW! NOTE: _143 these B; the 1820. ECHO: Follow, follow! PANTHEA: The crags, this clear spring morning, mock our voices As they were spirit-tongued. ASIA: It is some being Around the crags. What fine clear sounds! O, list! _165 ECHOES, UNSEEN: Echoes we: listen! We cannot stay: As dew-stars glisten Then fade away— Child of Ocean! _170 ASIA: Hark! Spirits speak. The liquid responses Of their aereal tongues yet sound. PANTHEA: I hear. ECHOES: Oh, follow, follow, As our voice recedeth Through the caverns hollow, _175 Where the forest spreadeth; [MORE DISTANT.] Oh, follow, follow! Through the caverns hollow, As the song floats thou pursue, Where the wild bee never flew, _180 Through the noontide darkness deep, By the odour-breathing sleep Of faint night-flowers, and the waves At the fountain-lighted caves, While our music, wild and sweet, _185 Mocks thy gently falling feet, Child of Ocean! ASIA: Shall we pursue the sound? It grows more faint And distant. PANTHEA: List! the strain floats nearer now. ECHOES: In the world unknown _190 Sleeps a voice unspoken; By thy step alone Can its rest be broken; Child of Ocean! ASIA: How the notes sink upon the ebbing wind! _195 ECHOES: Oh, follow, follow! Through the caverns hollow, As the song floats thou pursue, By the woodland noontide dew; By the forests, lakes, and fountains, _200 Through the many-folded mountains; To the rents, and gulfs, and chasms, Where the Earth reposed from spasms, On the day when He and thou Parted, to commingle now; _205 Child of Ocean! ASIA: Come, sweet Panthea, link thy hand in mine, And follow, ere the voices fade away. SCENE 2.2:
This scene from Shelley's verse drama *Prometheus Unbound* features Asia—a spirit embodying love and nature—who hears mysterious echoes urging her to follow them toward a reunion with Prometheus. The voices guide her through forests, mountains, and caverns to a place where love was once shattered but can be restored. It’s like a magical treasure hunt, with cosmic liberation as the ultimate prize.
Line-by-line
As you speak, your words / Fill, pause by pause, my own forgotten sleep
Methought among these lawns together / We wandered, underneath the young gray dawn
And multitudes of dense white fleecy clouds / Were wandering in thick flocks along the mountains
But on the shadows of the morning clouds, / Athwart the purple mountain slope, was written / FOLLOW, O, FOLLOW!
A wind arose among the pines; it shook / The clinging music from their boughs
And then I said, 'Panthea, look on me.' / But in the depth of those beloved eyes / Still I saw, FOLLOW, FOLLOW!
Echoes we: listen! / We cannot stay: / As dew-stars glisten / Then fade away—
Oh, follow, follow, / As our voice recedeth / Through the caverns hollow, / Where the forest spreadeth;
In the world unknown / Sleeps a voice unspoken; / By thy step alone / Can its rest be broken;
Oh, follow, follow! / Through the caverns hollow, / As the song floats thou pursue, / By the woodland noontide dew;
Come, sweet Panthea, link thy hand in mine, / And follow, ere the voices fade away.
Tone & mood
The tone is both urgent and enchanted. Shelley maintains a luminous quality in her language — dew, dawn, pine music, cavern echoes — making the summons feel more like an invitation than a command. Underneath it all, there's a current of longing, suggesting that Asia has been waiting for this call without realizing it. As the final lines approach, the urgency intensifies: the voices are fading, and she must act now.
Symbols & metaphors
- The Echoes — The Echoes are not just sounds bouncing off rocks. They are spirit messengers leading Asia toward Prometheus, symbolizing how the universe works to reunite separated loves. Their elusive nature—always just out of reach—is what makes them such effective guides: you can only follow them, never truly catch them.
- Dew — Dew shows up often—on grass, on herbs, and in the Echoes' self-description as 'dew-stars.' It represents purity, fleetingness, and that early moment before the world has fully awakened. It transforms the landscape into a threshold space between sleep and activity.
- The written word FOLLOW — The command seen in cloud shadows, etched into leaves, and mirrored in Panthea's eyes reveals that Asia's destiny is woven into nature itself. Shelley suggests that the call for liberation isn't just a personal desire but a law embedded in the very essence of the world.
- The caverns — Caverns are hollow, dark, and filled with echoes — a fitting representation of the unconscious or the unknown. The echoes guide Asia through these depths toward a reunion with cosmic significance. They symbolize the deep, uncharted interior that must be navigated before any transformation can take place.
- Child of Ocean — Asia's recurring title ties her to the sea: vast, ancient, life-giving, and boundless. It serves as a reminder that she isn't merely a character but a natural force, and her journey is as fundamental as the tides that come back to the shore.
- Pine music — The wind rustling through the pine branches transforms the natural world into a living instrument. The sounds we hear aren't created by humans; they're released by nature itself. This implies that the call Asia hears isn't just an illusion—it's something real and lasting, waiting to be discovered.
Historical context
Shelley wrote *Prometheus Unbound* between 1818 and 1819, completing it in Rome while he was in self-imposed exile from England. The play is a lyrical drama in four acts, loosely inspired by the lost sequel to Aeschylus's *Prometheus Bound*. In Aeschylus's version, Prometheus eventually submits to Zeus, but Shelley's take completely rejects that idea—it's a bold reimagining where love and defiance triumph over tyranny. Asia, Prometheus's consort, is a goddess of nature and love who has been apart from him since his imprisonment. Act II, Scene 1—where this passage is found—follows Asia and Panthea as they respond to a dream call and begin their journey down to Demogorgon's realm. Shelley wrote this work during a time filled with intense political hope and personal sorrow, and the poem embodies both his belief in human liberation and the risks involved in pursuing it.
FAQ
It's not just a standalone poem; it's a scene from Shelley's verse drama *Prometheus Unbound* (1820), specifically Act II, Scene 1. The title 'O, Follow, Follow!' is often used when this passage is anthologized on its own, but in context, it marks a crucial moment when Asia is called to seek out Prometheus.
Asia is Prometheus's partner—a spirit symbolizing love, nature, and the world's creative force. She has been apart from Prometheus ever since Zeus (referred to as Jupiter in the play) had him bound. Her journey in Act II is the emotional core of the drama: she ventures into Demogorgon's realm and, through her inquiries, brings about Jupiter's downfall and Prometheus's liberation.
It's Asia's title. In Shelley's mythological world, Asia is an Oceanid, the daughter of Oceanus, the Titan who embodies the world-ocean. The Echoes repeat it to remind her of her true essence and strength. It also links her to something immense, timeless, and unbound.
Because the journey itself matters. Shelley frames the summons as a pursuit instead of a list of directions to highlight that liberation — whether personal, political, or cosmic — isn’t something you can receive passively. You must actively seek it out, navigating through darkness and uncertainty, even without a full map. The Echoes fade away so that Asia must continually decide to follow.
It's a truth or power that can only be awakened through Asia's unique journey. Shelley suggests that some elements of the universe remain inactive until the right person acts at the right time. In the context of the play, this refers to Demogorgon — the force destined to eventually overthrow Jupiter.
He's envisioning sound as something tangible that clings to the trees like moisture. When the wind rustles the pines, it lets out music just as a branch lets go of raindrops. This synaesthetic image — blending touch and sound — brings the natural world to life, teeming with hidden significance.
Shelley uses capital letters to convey that the command isn’t merely a whisper—it’s etched into the world itself, as if carved or branded. When it shows up on cloud shadows and is burned into leaves "as with a withering fire," the capitals give it the weight of a universal law instead of a personal message.
Absolutely. *Prometheus Unbound* is Shelley’s most ambitious political poem. In it, Prometheus symbolizes humanity’s defiance against tyranny, while Asia’s journey embodies the love that enables liberation. The call to 'follow' serves as a call to action — encouraging the pursuit of freedom, even when it leads through dark and treacherous paths. Shelley penned this work after the Peterloo Massacre and during his own exile, making the stakes profoundly personal for him.