PROM THE GREEK OF BION. by Percy Bysshe Shelley: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This is Shelley's translation of a lament from ancient Greece by the poet Bion, expressing sorrow over the death of Adonis — the handsome young man cherished by Venus (Aphrodite).
The poem
[Published by Forman, “Poetical Works of P. B. S.”, 1876.] I mourn Adonis dead—loveliest Adonis— Dead, dead Adonis—and the Loves lament. Sleep no more, Venus, wrapped in purple woof— Wake violet-stoled queen, and weave the crown Of Death,—’tis Misery calls,—for he is dead. _5 The lovely one lies wounded in the mountains, His white thigh struck with the white tooth; he scarce Yet breathes; and Venus hangs in agony there. The dark blood wanders o’er his snowy limbs, His eyes beneath their lids are lustreless, _10 The rose has fled from his wan lips, and there That kiss is dead, which Venus gathers yet. A deep, deep wound Adonis... A deeper Venus bears upon her heart. See, his beloved dogs are gathering round— _15 The Oread nymphs are weeping—Aphrodite With hair unbound is wandering through the woods, ‘Wildered, ungirt, unsandalled—the thorns pierce Her hastening feet and drink her sacred blood. Bitterly screaming out, she is driven on _20 Through the long vales; and her Assyrian boy, Her love, her husband, calls—the purple blood From his struck thigh stains her white navel now, Her bosom, and her neck before like snow. Alas for Cytherea—the Loves mourn— _25 The lovely, the beloved is gone!—and now Her sacred beauty vanishes away. For Venus whilst Adonis lived was fair— Alas! her loveliness is dead with him. The oaks and mountains cry, Ai! ai! Adonis! _30 The springs their waters change to tears and weep— The flowers are withered up with grief... Ai! ai! ... Adonis is dead Echo resounds ... Adonis dead. Who will weep not thy dreadful woe. O Venus? _35 Soon as she saw and knew the mortal wound Of her Adonis—saw the life-blood flow From his fair thigh, now wasting,—wailing loud She clasped him, and cried ... ‘Stay, Adonis! Stay, dearest one,... _40 and mix my lips with thine— Wake yet a while, Adonis—oh, but once, That I may kiss thee now for the last time— But for as long as one short kiss may live— Oh, let thy breath flow from thy dying soul _45 Even to my mouth and heart, that I may suck That...’ NOTE: _23 his Rossetti, Dowden, Woodberry; her Boscombe manuscript, Forman. ***
This is Shelley's translation of a lament from ancient Greece by the poet Bion, expressing sorrow over the death of Adonis — the handsome young man cherished by Venus (Aphrodite). Adonis has been mortally wounded by a wild boar, and Venus hurries through the wilderness in her anguish, bleeding from thorns, desperate to reach him before he passes away. The poem concludes abruptly, with Venus pleading for one last kiss, which adds to the feeling of loss being painfully incomplete.
Line-by-line
I mourn Adonis dead—loveliest Adonis— / Dead, dead Adonis—and the Loves lament.
Sleep no more, Venus, wrapped in purple woof— / Wake violet-stoled queen, and weave the crown
The lovely one lies wounded in the mountains, / His white thigh struck with the white tooth;
A deep, deep wound Adonis... / A deeper Venus bears upon her heart.
Alas for Cytherea—the Loves mourn— / The lovely, the beloved is gone!—
Who will weep not thy dreadful woe, O Venus? / Soon as she saw and knew the mortal wound
Oh, let thy breath flow from thy dying soul / Even to my mouth and heart, that I may suck / That...'
Tone & mood
The tone is filled with raw, ceremonial grief — imagine a funeral wail instead of a soft sadness. It's loud, urgent, and tangible. Shelley maintains the ancient ritual essence of Bion's original: the repeated cries, the direct calls to Venus, and the list of mourners. Yet, beneath all the anguish, there's a sense of tenderness, particularly in Venus's final speech, where grief turns personal and desperate rather than just monumental.
Symbols & metaphors
- The wound on Adonis's thigh — The physical wound serves as the main source of the poem's grief. It also holds an erotic undertone — the thigh has been a significant symbol in ancient poetry — making the wound feel like a violation of both beauty and desire. Venus's blood from the thorns later reflects his wound, connecting them through their shared suffering.
- Venus's unbound hair and bare feet — In ancient cultures, loose hair and bare feet indicated mourning and chaos. Venus, shedding her divine grace—her sandals, her belt, her polished look—reveals that love has taken everything from her, even her dignity as a goddess. She is now just a grieving woman.
- The withered flowers and weeping springs — Nature's mourning goes beyond mere decoration. In the myth, Adonis represents a vegetation deity — his death brings a halt to the world's blooming. The grieving flowers and springs mark the end of a fertile season, leaving the world cold in the absence of beauty.
- The last kiss — Venus's fixation on one last kiss goes beyond love — it’s about her struggle to let him go. In ancient thought, breath was linked to the soul, so her urge to "suck" his dying breath represents her attempt to keep a piece of him alive within her. The kiss transforms into a symbol of the futile desire to cling to someone who is already lost.
- Purple and violet — These colors show up on Venus's clothing and in the blood that stains her skin. Purple symbolized royalty and mourning in ancient times. The blood from Adonis that spreads across Venus's pale body transforms her into a living symbol of grief — beauty marked by death.
- Echo repeating "Adonis dead" — Echo in Greek myth can only repeat what others say — she has no voice of her own. Here, she embodies the voice of endless, unanswerable grief. The name "Adonis" bouncing off the mountains implies that the loss will keep resonating, that there is no response to death, only an echo.
Historical context
Bion of Smyrna was a Greek bucolic poet from around the 2nd or 1st century BCE. His "Lament for Adonis" is one of the most well-known surviving examples of ancient Greek ritual mourning poetry, emerging from the Adonia — festivals celebrated throughout the Greek world to mourn Adonis's death each year. Adonis, a figure of remarkable beauty, was loved by Aphrodite (Venus) and was killed by a boar, symbolizing the cycle of vegetation's death and rebirth. Shelley translated this poem in 1818 while living in Italy, where he was deeply engaged with Greek literature. His own elegy, "Adonais" (1821), written in memory of Keats, draws directly from Bion's poem and this translation. Shelley's version captures the emotional depth of the original while infusing it with his own fluid, urgent English style.
FAQ
In Greek and Roman mythology, Adonis is a remarkably handsome young man. Aphrodite (known as Venus in Roman mythology) fell for him and enjoyed moments with him among mortals. Unfortunately, he met his end during a hunting trip when a wild boar attacked him—some tales suggest that the boar was sent by a jealous rival. His tale has come to represent the fleeting nature of beauty.
It means Shelley is translating rather than composing an original poem. Bion, an ancient Greek poet, crafted the "Lament for Adonis" in the 1st or 2nd century BCE. Shelley is adapting that Greek poem into English, closely following the original's imagery and emotional tone while infusing it with his unique voice.
The manuscript Shelley was using — or perhaps his own draft — seems to be unfinished. The poem ends abruptly with Venus in mid-plea, leaving the word "That" suspended without a resolution. Whether this was done on purpose or by accident, the impact is striking: the poem itself feels truncated, mirroring the brevity of Adonis's life.
"The Loves" refers to the Erotes, a group of winged gods linked to love and desire in Greek mythology. Eros, or Cupid, is the most well-known among them, but there are others too. As attendants of Aphrodite, it’s fitting that they mourn with her; the death of Adonis strikes at the heart of love itself.
The poem states, "her loveliness is dead with him," which suggests that her beauty relied on the love they shared. This poetic expression captures how grief can leave someone feeling empty. It also echoes the ancient belief that Adonis mirrored Venus's vitality; without him, she loses her glow.
"Adonais" (1821) is Shelley's tribute to John Keats, who passed away at a young age in Rome. Shelley chose the title to reference Adonis and based its form on Bion's lament. In fact, translating Bion helped Shelley connect with the poetic tradition that he would later draw upon to grieve Keats. The two works are closely intertwined.
Cytherea is one of the names for Venus/Aphrodite, originating from the island of Cythera, located off Greece's southern coast, where her worship was prominent. Greek and Roman poets often used various names for the same goddess, and alternating between them helped to create variety and highlight different qualities of her character.
In the literal myth, Adonis is a god of vegetation—his death marks the end of the growing season. So when the flowers fade and the springs cry, it’s more than just a metaphor; it’s the world showing his absence. This style of writing, where nature reflects human feelings, is known as "pathetic fallacy," and it's one of the oldest techniques in poetry.