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The Annotated Edition

STANZA, WRITTEN AT BRACKNELL. by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

Read aloud in ~3 min

These two short poems, crafted by Shelley in early 1814 at Bracknell, express love tinged with sorrow — they reflect the painful moment when a relationship is coming to an end, and both individuals are aware of it.

Poet
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Themes
despair, love, memory
The PoemFull text

STANZA, WRITTEN AT BRACKNELL.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

[Composed March, 1814. Published in Hogg’s “Life of Shelley”, 1858.] Thy dewy looks sink in my breast; Thy gentle words stir poison there; Thou hast disturbed the only rest That was the portion of despair! Subdued to Duty’s hard control, _5 I could have borne my wayward lot: The chains that bind this ruined soul Had cankered then—but crushed it not. *** STANZAS.—APRIL, 1814. [Composed at Bracknell, April, 1814. Published with “Alastor”, 1816.] Away! the moor is dark beneath the moon, Rapid clouds have drank the last pale beam of even: Away! the gathering winds will call the darkness soon, And profoundest midnight shroud the serene lights of heaven. Pause not! The time is past! Every voice cries, Away! _5 Tempt not with one last tear thy friend’s ungentle mood: Thy lover’s eye, so glazed and cold, dares not entreat thy stay: Duty and dereliction guide thee back to solitude. Away, away! to thy sad and silent home; Pour bitter tears on its desolated hearth; _10 Watch the dim shades as like ghosts they go and come, And complicate strange webs of melancholy mirth. The leaves of wasted autumn woods shall float around thine head: The blooms of dewy spring shall gleam beneath thy feet: But thy soul or this world must fade in the frost that binds the dead, _15 Ere midnight’s frown and morning’s smile, ere thou and peace may meet. The cloud shadows of midnight possess their own repose, For the weary winds are silent, or the moon is in the deep: Some respite to its turbulence unresting ocean knows; Whatever moves, or toils, or grieves, hath its appointed sleep. _20 Thou in the grave shalt rest—yet till the phantoms flee Which that house and heath and garden made dear to thee erewhile, Thy remembrance, and repentance, and deep musings are not free From the music of two voices and the light of one sweet smile. NOTE: _6 tear 1816; glance 1839. ***

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

These two short poems, crafted by Shelley in early 1814 at Bracknell, express love tinged with sorrow — they reflect the painful moment when a relationship is coming to an end, and both individuals are aware of it. The first poem is a concise eight-line confession: someone’s tenderness has pierced the emotional barrier Shelley had constructed, leaving him feeling more vulnerable. The second poem is a longer, desperate farewell, urging a beloved to leave while lamenting all that is slipping away.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Thy dewy looks sink in my breast; / Thy gentle words stir poison there;

    Editor's note

    The speaker is talking to someone whose gentle gaze and comforting words have affected him deeply — but not positively. The term "poison" reveals that this tenderness is harming him rather than helping him. The word "dewy" portrays the beloved as fresh and innocent, making the speaker's suffering feel even more unjust.

  2. Thou hast disturbed the only rest / That was the portion of despair!

    Editor's note

    Before this person showed up, the speaker had sunk into a cold, quiet despair — a sort of emotional numbness that, while painful in its own way, at least offered some relief. Now, even that grim sense of peace has vanished. "The portion of despair" is a powerful phrase: despair's only small consolation was rest, and now that's disappeared as well.

  3. Subdued to Duty's hard control, / I could have borne my wayward lot:

    Editor's note

    "Duty" here likely refers to his marriage to Harriet Westbrook, which by 1814 had turned into a loveless obligation. The speaker is expressing that he could have accepted a life he didn't choose, provided he remained numb and dutiful.

  4. The chains that bind this ruined soul / Had cankered then—but crushed it not.

    Editor's note

    "Cankered" refers to a gradual decay or corrosion—similar to rust on iron. The burdens of duty would have worn him down, but they wouldn't have completely shattered him. Now, with hope and emotion reawakened, the weight is fully realized. It's a grim ending: experiencing feelings again has only intensified the pain.

  5. Away! the moor is dark beneath the moon, / Rapid clouds have drank the last pale beam of even:

    Editor's note

    The second poem starts in the middle of a heated moment, making us feel like we've interrupted an argument. The setting reflects this tension: the moon gets hidden by clouds, and the last remnants of light are disappearing. The word "drank" is striking and forceful—darkness is actively devouring the light, rather than simply taking its place.

  6. Pause not! The time is past! Every voice cries, Away! / Tempt not with one last tear thy friend's ungentle mood:

    Editor's note

    The speaker is urging his beloved to leave and warning her not to cry because he can't handle it. "Ungentle mood" is a candid acknowledgment: he's not in a place to be kind. The term "friend" carries weight in this context, replacing what "lover" might typically imply, hinting that their relationship is already shifting.

  7. Thy lover's eye, so glazed and cold, dares not entreat thy stay: / Duty and dereliction guide thee back to solitude.

    Editor's note

    Now the speaker refers to himself in the third person as "thy lover" — a distancing move, as if he's observing himself from a distance. His eyes are "glazed and cold," shut down by grief or determination. "Dereliction" is a strong word: it signifies both abandonment and the failure of duty, encapsulating the difficult situation both individuals find themselves in.

  8. Away, away! to thy sad and silent home; / Pour bitter tears on its desolated hearth;

    Editor's note

    The beloved's home is portrayed as lifeless — a "hearth" that lacks warmth. The speaker is returning her to solitude, fully aware of this reality. The repeated phrase "Away, away!" creates a frantic, almost desperate rhythm in the stanza, resembling someone attempting to persuade both themselves and the other person.

  9. Watch the dim shades as like ghosts they go and come, / And complicate strange webs of melancholy mirth.

    Editor's note

    "Melancholy mirth" is an oxymoron—a bittersweet laughter, or the odd half-joy that arises from recalling happy moments that are now gone. The "dim shades" drifting like ghosts evoke memories that linger in the empty house. The word "complicate" is used here in its earlier sense of "weave together," implying that grief feels like something knotted and unavoidable.

  10. The leaves of wasted autumn woods shall float around thine head: / The blooms of dewy spring shall gleam beneath thy feet:

    Editor's note

    Shelley packs an entire year of seasons into just two lines, conveying that time will move on and the world will change. However, the following two lines shatter any optimism — that natural renewal won't bring the beloved peace. The beauty of spring "beneath thy feet" feels almost like a cruel joke.

  11. But thy soul or this world must fade in the frost that binds the dead, / Ere midnight's frown and morning's smile, ere thou and peace may meet.

    Editor's note

    This is the poem's most brutal line: either the beloved's soul will perish, or the entire world will collapse, before she can find peace. "The frost that binds the dead" represents death itself. "Midnight's frown and morning's smile" give human traits to the dark and light hours, implying that peace exists somewhere unfathomably beyond both.

  12. The cloud shadows of midnight possess their own repose, / For the weary winds are silent, or the moon is in the deep:

    Editor's note

    Here, Shelley shifts to nature, offering a moment of comparative calm. Midnight carries its own peace. Even the restless ocean finds a break. The contrast with the beloved's relentless inner turmoil is key — everything in nature finds rest except her grieving mind.

  13. Thou in the grave shalt rest—yet till the phantoms flee / Which that house and heath and garden made dear to thee erewhile,

    Editor's note

    The only rest for the beloved is death — and even that doesn't come right away. The "phantoms" refer to memories tied to certain places: the house, the heath, the garden. These are genuine locations from their shared past, and Shelley names them as if he were truly there.

  14. Thy remembrance, and repentance, and deep musings are not free / From the music of two voices and the light of one sweet smile.

    Editor's note

    The poem concludes with a hauntingly beautiful image: two voices (theirs, together) and one smile (his or hers). Even in death, even in the grave, the beloved is still bound by these memories. It's a heartbreaking ending — love here is not a source of comfort but a lasting wound.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

Both poems convey a sense of mourning and urgency, yet they take different paths. The first poem is introspective and confessional—it's soft, almost suffocated. The second poem is more outward and forceful, packed with commands and exclamations that evoke a sense of someone attempting to escape their emotions. In both pieces, the prevailing mood is one of entrapment in grief: love has come at the most inopportune moment, leaving only painful choices.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

Chains
The chains that "bind this ruined soul" symbolize Shelley's marriage to Harriet — a legal and social obligation he felt like imprisonment. They corrode ("cankered") but don't cause death by themselves; it requires the emergence of new feelings to bring about complete destruction.
The moor and darkening sky
The opening landscape of the second poem — a dark moor, clouds obscuring the moon, and winds picking up — reflects the speaker's emotional state. The fading light symbolizes the relationship, while the encroaching darkness represents the looming separation.
The hearth
The "desolated hearth" that the beloved returns to symbolizes a home lacking warmth and love. A hearth is the traditional heart of a home; a cold one indicates that the life being returned to feels empty.
The grave
Death and the grave don't seem like threats; instead, they represent the only rest we have — a dark twist on the typical solace provided by faith or the passage of time. While the grave marks the end of suffering, it requires a condition: the haunting memories need to fade away first.
Two voices and one sweet smile
This closing image represents the relationship itself, distilled to its most sensory and essential elements. It's what memory clings to in the end: not concepts or debates, but the sound of a voice and the sight of a face.
Poison
In the first poem, the beloved's gentle words "stir poison" in the speaker's breast. Love, often seen as medicine or nourishment, is instead portrayed as something toxic — not due to any malice from the beloved, but because the speaker finds themselves in a situation where love can only lead to pain.

§06Historical context

Historical context

By early 1814, Shelley's marriage to Harriet Westbrook—whom he married in 1811 at the age of nineteen—had essentially fallen apart. During the spring of that year, while he was staying in Bracknell, Berkshire, he developed a deep affection for Cornelia Boinville, Mary Godwin's stepsister, or perhaps even for Mary Godwin herself (scholars still debate who inspired these poems). The situation was complex: he was legally tied to Harriet but emotionally drawn to someone new, all while being part of the radical intellectual circle surrounding William Godwin's household. These two poems were composed in March and April of 1814, just months before Shelley eloped with Mary Godwin in July. They were published years later—the first in Hogg's biography of Shelley in 1858, and the second in the 1816 collection *Alastor*. They rank among Shelley's most straightforward and least mythologized personal lyrics.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

The identity of the "thou" remains quite uncertain. Most scholars believe that the beloved in the April stanzas is either Cornelia Boinville, the daughter of a family friend who spent time with Shelley at Bracknell, or Mary Godwin, with whom he would elope a few months later. Shelley never specified her name, and the poems are intentionally vague to avoid a clear answer.

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