Analysis of Homer's Hymn To The Moon

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



Daughters of Jove, whose voice is melody,
Muses, who know and rule all minstrelsy
Sing the wide-winged Moon! Around the earth,
From her immortal head in Heaven shot forth,
Far light is scattered—boundless glory springs;
Where’er she spreads her many-beaming wings
The lampless air glows round her golden crown.

But when the Moon divine from Heaven is gone
Under the sea, her beams within abide,
Till, bathing her bright limbs in Ocean’s tide,
Clothing her form in garments glittering far,
And having yoked to her immortal car
The beam-invested steeds whose necks on high
Curve back, she drives to a remoter sky
A western Crescent, borne impetuously.
Then is made full the circle of her light,
And as she grows, her beams more bright and bright
Are poured from Heaven, where she is hovering then,
A wonder and a sign to mortal men.

The Son of Saturn with this glorious Power
Mingled in love and sleep--to whom she bore
Pandeia, a bright maid of beauty rare
Among the Gods, whose lives eternal are.

Hail Queen, great Moon, white-armed Divinity,
Fair-haired and favourable! thus with thee
My song beginning, by its music sweet
Shall make immortal many a glorious feat
Of demigods, with lovely lips, so well
Which minstrels, servants of the Muses, tell.


Scheme ABXXBBX XCCDDEEFGGHH XXXD AAIIFF
Poetic Form
Metre 1011111100 10110111 101110101 10010101011 1111010101 111010101 011110101 11010111011 1001010101 1100110101 10010101001 0101100101 0101011111 11111011 0101011 1111010101 0111011101 111101111001 0100011101 011101110010 1001011111 10111101 0101110101 1111110100 1101111 1101011101 110101001001 11110111 1101010101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,240
Words 215
Sentences 8
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 7, 12, 4, 6
Lines Amount 29
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 248
Words per stanza (avg) 53
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 07, 2023

1:04 min read
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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…

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