Skip to content
Storgy

The Annotated Edition

THE AZIOLA. by Percy Bysshe Shelley

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

Read aloud in ~2 minOpen reading mode →

A man hears his wife Mary mention a strange sound during the evening twilight, and he panics, thinking "the Aziola" must be some bothersome person.

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

THE AZIOLA.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

[Published by Mrs. Shelley in “The Keepsake”, 1829.] 1. ‘Do you not hear the Aziola cry? Methinks she must be nigh,’ Said Mary, as we sate In dusk, ere stars were lit, or candles brought; And I, who thought _5 This Aziola was some tedious woman, Asked, ‘Who is Aziola?’ How elate I felt to know that it was nothing human, No mockery of myself to fear or hate: And Mary saw my soul, _10 And laughed, and said, ‘Disquiet yourself not; ’Tis nothing but a little downy owl.’ 2. Sad Aziola! many an eventide Thy music I had heard By wood and stream, meadow and mountain-side, _15 And fields and marshes wide,— Such as nor voice, nor lute, nor wind, nor bird, The soul ever stirred; Unlike and far sweeter than them all. Sad Aziola! from that moment I _20 Loved thee and thy sad cry. NOTES: _4 ere stars]ere the stars editions 1839. _9 or]and editions 1839. _19 them]they editions 1839. ***

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A man hears his wife Mary mention a strange sound during the evening twilight, and he panics, thinking "the Aziola" must be some bothersome person. When Mary laughs and explains that it’s just a small owl, he instantly feels relieved, followed by a wave of affection for the little bird and its mournful call. The poem captures a brief tale of misinterpreted anxiety transforming into an unexpected warmth.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. 'Do you not hear the Aziola cry? / Methinks she must be nigh,'

    Editor's note

    Mary speaks first, pointing out a sound in the near-dark — that fleeting moment before candles or stars provide any light. The word *nigh* keeps the source nearby and mysterious. Shelley creates an intimate yet slightly unsettling scene: two people sitting close together, one of them noticing something the other hasn't picked up on yet.

  2. Sad Aziola! many an eventide / Thy music I had heard

    Editor's note

    The second stanza shifts from a personal story to a direct address. Shelley talks to the owl, confessing that he has heard its cry many times before — echoing through woods, streams, meadows, and marshes — without ever understanding its source. The variety of landscapes suggests that the owl's call resonates with the entire natural world. He boldly claims that this sound touches the soul more profoundly than any voice, lute, wind, or birdsong. The stanza wraps up by returning to the word *sad*, establishing the owl as a representation of beautiful, mysterious melancholy — and expressing his love for it.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone shifts rapidly from nervous and self-deprecating—Shelley chuckles at his own social anxiety—to genuinely tender. The first stanza has a lightness, buoyed by Mary's laughter, while the second stanza transitions into a quieter, more sincere space. The repeated word *sad* doesn't convey despair; instead, it's a kind of sadness that feels beautiful rather than painful, much like certain pieces of music.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The Aziola (little owl)
The owl represents how the natural world can evoke emotions in us that are hard to express or define. Initially, Shelley feels the weight of potential social judgment associated with it. However, once she recognizes it, the owl transforms into a symbol of deep, unspoken emotions — something beyond human trivialities.
Dusk / the moment before candles or stars
This threshold between day and night captures a sense of uncertainty and possibility. It's the ideal time for something unknown to stir the mind — and for a small insight to hit harder than expected.
Mary's laughter
Mary's laugh is soft and kind, never mocking. It shows that she gets Shelley’s anxious side and loves him just the same. Her laughter is the key moment of the poem: it eases the tension from the first stanza and invites us into the wonder of the second.
The owl's cry as music
Shelley explicitly likens the cry to voice, lute, wind, and birdsong, claiming it surpasses them all. This notion elevates natural sound over human artistry, reflecting a common theme in Romanticism, and connects the owl's sorrow to a profound beauty.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Shelley penned this poem around 1820–1821 while living in Italy with his wife, Mary Shelley, who is best known for writing *Frankenstein*. The term "Aziola" refers to the small owl known as the scops owl (*Otus scops*), which is famous for its repetitive, mournful call that fills the Italian evenings. During his last years, Shelley was deeply immersed in the Italian landscape and culture, and you can see a reflection of that world in many of his later poems. This particular poem wasn’t published during his lifetime; Mary included it in *The Keepsake* in 1829, seven years after he drowned in the Gulf of Spezia. Its informal, conversational start—where Mary speaks directly—stands out for Shelley and adds a sense of intimacy that distinguishes it from his more grandiose works. It feels almost like a personal memory shared with the public.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

It's the Italian name for the scops owl (*Otus scops*), a small, streaky brown owl found throughout southern Europe. Its call is a soft, repeated whistle—mournful and persistent—that echoes through the evening landscape. Shelley was living in Italy when he wrote the poem, so he likely heard it often.

Read next

Poems in the same key

Similar poems

ODE TO A NIGHTINGALE. — John KeatsThe Darkling Thrush — Thomas HardyI Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died — Emily DickinsonThe Windhover — Gerard Manley Hopkins

More by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Browse all Percy Bysshe Shelley poems →

Themes in this poem

Poems about beautyPoems about lovePoems about memoryPoems about nature