STANZA, WRITTEN AT BRACKNELL. by Percy Bysshe Shelley: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
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 poem
[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. ***
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.
Line-by-line
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, / I could have borne my wayward lot:
The chains that bind this ruined soul / Had cankered then—but crushed it not.
Away! the moor is dark beneath the moon, / Rapid clouds have drank the last pale beam of even:
Pause not! The time is past! Every voice cries, Away! / 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;
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, / 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:
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.
Tone & mood
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.
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.
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.
FAQ
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.
Because of his circumstances, he was still married to Harriet Westbrook, a relationship that made him feel trapped. Falling in love again didn’t set him free; it only brought a new layer of pain to an already difficult situation. The "poison" isn’t about the beloved; it’s about the situation he finds himself in. Experiencing feelings again only intensified his struggles.
Almost certainly his marriage. Shelley uses "Duty" with a capital D to emphasize its significance as a social and moral obligation — something forced upon him rather than a choice he made himself. He might have coped with his "wayward lot" (his unhappy marriage) if he had remained numb, but love has made that impossible.
It's a command to the beloved and also an instruction to herself. The speaker urges her to leave before things get more painful — before she cries, before he weakens. The repetition creates a frantic, urgent tone, like someone who understands that if they stop pushing, they might not be able to push anymore.
It suggests that death won't bring complete peace, as memories linger so strongly. The cherished ones will hold onto the sensory marks of their bond—the sound of their shared laughter, the warmth of a smile—even in death. Shelley conveys that this love has become an inseparable part of her, for better or worse.
Yes, this poem is more personal than much of Shelley's other work. In early 1814, while at Bracknell, he was in an unhappy marriage and falling for someone he couldn’t be with. The specific place names (house, heath, garden) in the final stanza refer to real locations. Still, Shelley has a way of transforming personal experience into something relatable, so the poems resonate even without knowing the background.
The first poem ("Stanza, Written at Bracknell") consists of a compact eight-line stanza written in iambic tetrameter, following an ABABCDCD rhyme scheme — it feels tight and controlled, much like the emotional restraint it depicts. In contrast, the second poem ("Stanzas — April, 1814") features longer, more relaxed lines, resembling hexameter, and maintains a consistent ABAB rhyme scheme throughout its six stanzas. These extended lines allow for greater expression and development.
The first poem didn't see the light of day until 1858, almost forty years after Shelley's death, when Thomas Jefferson Hogg featured it in his biography. The second poem came out in 1816 as part of the *Alastor* collection, which was Shelley's debut major publication. The gap before the first poem's publication likely shows how personal and vulnerable it was—not something you'd want to share with the world while the people involved were still around.