WITH A GUITAR, TO JANE. by Percy Bysshe Shelley: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
Shelley gifts a guitar to his friend Jane Williams, playfully pretending to be Ariel — the enchanting spirit from Shakespeare's *The Tempest* — sending a present to Miranda.
The poem
[Published by Medwin, “The Athenaeum”, October 20, 1832; “Frazer’s Magazine”, January 1833. There is a copy amongst the Trelawny manuscripts.] Ariel to Miranda:—Take This slave of Music, for the sake Of him who is the slave of thee, And teach it all the harmony In which thou canst, and only thou, _5 Make the delighted spirit glow, Till joy denies itself again, And, too intense, is turned to pain; For by permission and command Of thine own Prince Ferdinand, _10 Poor Ariel sends this silent token Of more than ever can be spoken; Your guardian spirit, Ariel, who, From life to life, must still pursue Your happiness;—for thus alone _15 Can Ariel ever find his own. From Prospero’s enchanted cell, As the mighty verses tell, To the throne of Naples, he Lit you o’er the trackless sea, _20 Flitting on, your prow before, Like a living meteor. When you die, the silent Moon, In her interlunar swoon, Is not sadder in her cell Than deserted Ariel. When you live again on earth, Like an unseen star of birth, Ariel guides you o’er the sea Of life from your nativity. _30 Many changes have been run Since Ferdinand and you begun Your course of love, and Ariel still Has tracked your steps, and served your will; Now, in humbler, happier lot, _35 This is all remembered not; And now, alas! the poor sprite is Imprisoned, for some fault of his, In a body like a grave;— From you he only dares to crave, _40 For his service and his sorrow, A smile today, a song tomorrow. The artist who this idol wrought, To echo all harmonious thought, Felled a tree, while on the steep _45 The woods were in their winter sleep, Rocked in that repose divine On the wind-swept Apennine; And dreaming, some of Autumn past, And some of Spring approaching fast, _50 And some of April buds and showers, And some of songs in July bowers, And all of love; and so this tree,— O that such our death may be!— Died in sleep, and felt no pain, _55 To live in happier form again: From which, beneath Heaven’s fairest star, The artist wrought this loved Guitar, And taught it justly to reply, To all who question skilfully, _60 In language gentle as thine own; Whispering in enamoured tone Sweet oracles of woods and dells, And summer winds in sylvan cells; For it had learned all harmonies _65 Of the plains and of the skies, Of the forests and the mountains, And the many-voiced fountains; The clearest echoes of the hills, The softest notes of falling rills, _70 The melodies of birds and bees, The murmuring of summer seas, And pattering rain, and breathing dew, And airs of evening; and it knew That seldom-heard mysterious sound, _75 Which, driven on its diurnal round, As it floats through boundless day, Our world enkindles on its way.— All this it knows, but will not tell To those who cannot question well _80 The Spirit that inhabits it; It talks according to the wit Of its companions; and no more Is heard than has been felt before, By those who tempt it to betray _85 These secrets of an elder day: But, sweetly as its answers will Flatter hands of perfect skill, It keeps its highest, holiest tone For our beloved Jane alone. _90 NOTES: _12 Of more than ever]Of love that never 1833. _46 woods Trelawny manuscript, 1839, 2nd edition; winds 1832, 1833, 1839, 1st edition. _58 this Trelawny manuscript, 1839, 2nd edition; that 1832, 1833, 1839, 1st edition. _61 thine own Trelawny manuscript, 1839, 2nd edition; its own 1832, 1833, 1839, 1st edition. _76 on Trelawny manuscript, 1839, 2nd edition; in 1832, 1833, 1839, 1st edition. _90 Jane Trelawny manuscript; friend 1832, 1833, editions 1839. *** TO JANE: ‘THE KEEN STARS WERE TWINKLING’. [Published in part (lines 7-24) by Medwin (under the title, “An Ariette for Music. To a Lady singing to her Accompaniment on the Guitar”), “The Athenaeum”, November 17, 1832; reprinted by Mrs. Shelley, “Poetical Works”, 1839, 1st edition. Republished in full (under the title, To —.), “Poetical Works”, 1839, 2nd edition. The Trelawny manuscript is headed “To Jane”. Mr. C.W. Frederickson of Brooklyn possesses a transcript in an unknown hand.] 1. The keen stars were twinkling, And the fair moon was rising among them, Dear Jane! The guitar was tinkling, But the notes were not sweet till you sung them _5 Again. 2. As the moon’s soft splendour O’er the faint cold starlight of Heaven Is thrown, So your voice most tender _10 To the strings without soul had then given Its own. 3. The stars will awaken, Though the moon sleep a full hour later, To-night; _15 No leaf will be shaken Whilst the dews of your melody scatter Delight. 4. Though the sound overpowers, Sing again, with your dear voice revealing _20 A tone Of some world far from ours, Where music and moonlight and feeling Are one. NOTES: _3 Dear *** 1839, 2nd edition. _7 soft]pale Fred. manuscript. _10 your 1839, 2nd edition.; thy 1832, 1839, 1st edition, Fred. manuscript. _11 had then 1839, 2nd edition; has 1832, 1839, 1st edition; hath Fred. manuscript. _12 Its]Thine Fred. manuscript. _17 your 1839, 2nd edition; thy 1832, 1839, 1st edition, Fred. manuscript. _19 sound]song Fred. manuscript. _20 your dear 1839, 2nd edition; thy sweet 1832, 1839, 1st edition; thy soft Fred. manuscript. ***
Shelley gifts a guitar to his friend Jane Williams, playfully pretending to be Ariel — the enchanting spirit from Shakespeare's *The Tempest* — sending a present to Miranda. The poem describes the guitar as crafted from a tree that dreamed of seasons and love before its fall, imbued with all of nature's music. It will reveal its richest, most exquisite sounds only to Jane, as she alone possesses the talent and heart to bring them forth.
Line-by-line
Ariel to Miranda:—Take / This slave of Music, for the sake
From Prospero's enchanted cell, / As the mighty verses tell,
When you die, the silent Moon, / In her interlunar swoon,
Now, in humbler, happier lot, / This is all remembered not;
The artist who this idol wrought, / To echo all harmonious thought,
From which, beneath Heaven's fairest star, / The artist wrought this loved Guitar,
Tone & mood
The tone shifts between playful and sorrowful. The *Tempest* framing gives the poem a light, theatrical touch at the beginning—Shelley seems to relish the idea of casting himself as Ariel. Yet, beneath the cleverness lies a deep longing and a sense of tender resignation. By the time he describes Ariel trapped in a body resembling a grave, yearning only for a smile and a song, the playfulness has faded into a more vulnerable emotion. The second half, focusing on the guitar's creation, takes on a quieter, more reflective tone—almost hymn-like as it lists natural sounds. The final lines resonate with quiet certainty instead of grand drama.
Symbols & metaphors
- The Guitar — The guitar serves as both a tangible gift and a symbol of Shelley's poetry. Similar to the poem, the instrument captures natural beauty and human emotion, releasing it only to those who are truly open to it. By giving Jane the guitar, he is, in essence, sharing his voice with her.
- Ariel — Shelley associates himself with Ariel — Shakespeare's spirit of air and service — to show his devotion to Jane while maintaining a friendship. Ariel embodies freedom and magic but is also committed to serving, reflecting Shelley's feelings about his relationship with Jane: eager and happy, yet not completely unrestrained.
- The Tree / Its Death — The tree that becomes the guitar symbolizes a perfect transformation: quietly fading away, without suffering, to emerge in a more elevated form. This reflects Shelley's idea of death—not as a conclusion, but as a journey into something more beautiful and harmonious.
- The Interlunar Moon — The dark gap between the old and new moon — the "interlunar swoon" — symbolizes grief, absence, and suspension. This is the image Shelley evokes to capture Ariel's feelings when Jane is absent. Although the moon's darkness is temporary, lending a sense of hope, it feels complete while it endures.
- The Sea — The sea represents the journey of life — boundless, immense, and in need of a navigator. Ariel guides Jane across it in every lifetime. This implies that life is about the journey, not the endpoint, and that having companionship makes the journey easier.
- The Apennine Mountains — The specific Italian setting connects the poem to Shelley's actual life—he was residing in Italy at the time of writing it. The mountains symbolize the untamed, raw world that the tree (and the guitar it became) absorbed before transforming into art. Nature provides the inspiration; art is what brings it to life.
Historical context
Shelley wrote this poem in early 1822, just months before he drowned in the Gulf of Spezia. He was living near the Williams family — Edward and Jane — on the Italian coast, and his friendship with Jane had grown into something resembling infatuation. He even made her a guitar as a gift, and this poem accompanied it. The *Tempest* allegory wasn’t random; Shelley had been deeply engaged with Shakespeare's works, and seeing himself as Ariel — a spirit who serves without expecting anything in return — was a genuine reflection of his feelings. The poem didn’t see publication during his lifetime; it was published in *The Athenaeum* in 1832, a decade after his death. The manuscript held by Trelawny (Shelley's friend and fellow adventurer) keeps Jane's real name, while the published versions referred to her as "friend" to maintain her privacy.
FAQ
Jane Williams was the partner of Shelley's close friend Edward Williams. The two couples lived near each other in Italy in 1822. Shelley felt a strong bond with Jane; she was musical, warm, and often kept him company during his last months. He wrote several poems for her, including "To Jane: The Keen Stars Were Twinkling."
It allows him to convey deep personal emotions within a fictional context. By adopting the names Ariel and Jane Miranda, he can talk about love, service, and desire without making a straightforward declaration. Ariel embodies air and music, which makes it fitting for a poem paired with a musical instrument. Additionally, Ariel's situation—bound to serve while yearning for freedom—reflects Shelley's own feelings: dedicated to Jane, yet recognizing the constraints of their relationship.
"Interlunar" describes the short time each month when the moon is entirely dark — the gap between the fading old moon and the emergence of the new one. Shelley employs this term to evoke a sense of profound, suspended grief. When Jane passes away, Ariel will embody the darkness and stillness of that moonless night. It's a specific astronomical term that serves as a metaphor for absence.
The tree's death is depicted as a model for an ideal passing: painless, dream-filled, and leading to transformation instead of extinction. It died in winter slumber, dreaming of seasons and love, and was reborn as a guitar that holds all those memories. Shelley suggests that art retains what life loses — and he also expresses a desire for his own death to be just as gentle.
Shelley believes that the guitar — much like a poem or any piece of art — reflects what the listener contributes. It "speaks based on the wit of those around it." Jane stands out because she possesses the musical talent and emotional insight to evoke the instrument's fullest potential. This highlights her sensitivity and suggests that exceptional art requires an exceptional audience.
It sits right on the edge of one. Shelley never openly declares love — the framing of Ariel maintains a tone of devoted friendship and service. Yet, the underlying feeling is clearly more than just casual affection. The image of Ariel trapped in a body that feels like a grave, yearning only for a smile and a song, is exactly the kind of thing you write when you’re longing for more than you can openly express.
Shelley is talking about the music of the spheres — the old belief that the planets and the Earth create a cosmic hum as they travel through space. People believed it was too faint for regular human ears to hear. The guitar, crafted from a tree that grew outdoors and soaked in all the natural sounds, has somehow captured even this profound harmony.
Jane Williams was a real person when the poem was published in 1832. If her name had been used, it would have connected her publicly to Shelley's deep emotional attachment, which might have been socially harmful for her. The Trelawny manuscript, a private copy, keeps her true name, and later editions brought it back once the social risks had diminished.