Analysis of Asia: From Prometheus Unbound

Percy Bysshe Shelley 1792 (Horsham) – 1822 (Lerici)



My soul is an enchanted boat,
Which, like a sleeping swan, doth float
Upon the silver waves of thy sweet singing;
And thine doth like an angel sit
Beside a helm conducting it,
Whilst all the winds with melody are ringing.
It seems to float ever, for ever,
Upon that many-winding river,
Between mountains, woods, abysses,
A paradise of wildernesses!
Till, like one in slumber bound,
Borne to the ocean, I float down, around,
Into a sea profound, of ever-spreading sound:

Meanwhile thy spirit lifts its pinions
In music's most serene dominions;
Catching the winds that fan that happy heaven.
And we sail on, away, afar,
Without a course, without a star,
But, by the instinct of sweet music driven;
Till through Elysian garden islets
By thee, most beautiful of pilots,
Where never mortal pinnace glided,
The boat of my desire is guided:
Realms where the air we breathe is love,
Which in the winds and on the waves doth move,
Harmonizing this earth with what we feel above.

We have past Age's icy caves,
And Manhood's dark and tossing waves,
And Youth's smooth ocean, smiling to betray:
Beyond the glassy gulfs we flee
Of shadow-peopled Infancy,
Through Death and Birth, to a diviner day;
A paradise of vaulted bowers,
Lit by downward-gazing flowers,
And watery paths that wind between
Wildernesses calm and green,
Peopled by shapes too bright to see,
And rest, having beheld; somewhat like thee;
Which walk upon the sea, and chant melodiously!


Scheme AABCCBDDEEFFF EEGHHGEEXXIXI EEJKEJEELLEKK
Poetic Form
Metre 11110101 11010111 01010111110 01111101 01010101 11011100110 111110110 011101010 011011 01011 1110101 1101011101 010101110101 1110111 0101011 10011111010 01110101 01010101 11010111010 1111010 111100110 11010110 0111010110 11011111 1001010111 10011111101 11110101 0110101 0111010101 01010111 1110100 11011011 01011010 11101010 010011101 1101 10111111 011011111 110101011
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,410
Words 248
Sentences 6
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 13, 13, 13
Lines Amount 39
Letters per line (avg) 29
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 378
Words per stanza (avg) 82
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:15 min read
135

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is regarded by critics as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. more…

All Percy Bysshe Shelley poems | Percy Bysshe Shelley Books

8 fans

Discuss this Percy Bysshe Shelley poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Asia: From Prometheus Unbound" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/29043/asia%3A-from-prometheus-unbound>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    7
    hours
    40
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which poet wrote “The Tyger”?
    A William Shakespeare
    B William Blake
    C Sylvia Plath
    D Emily Dickinson