'Mont Blanc' by Percy Bysshe Shelley
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(Lines written in the Vale of Chamouni)
1
The everlasting universe of things
Flows through the mind, and rolls its rapid waves,
Now dark - now glittering - now reflecting gloom -
Now lending splendor, where from secret springs
The source of human thought its tribute brings
Of waters, - with a sound but half its own,
Such as a feeble brook will oft assume
In the wild woods, amon the mountains lone,
Where waterfalls around it leap for ever,
Where woods and winds contend, and a vast river
Over its rocks ceaselessly bursts and raves.
2
Thus thou, Ravine of Arve - dark, deep Ravine-
Thou many-colored, many voiced vale,
Over whose pines, and crags, and caverns sail
Fast cloud-shadows and sunbeams: awful scene,
Where Power in likeness of the Arve comes down
From the ice-gulfs that gird his secret throne,
Bursting through these dark mountains like the flame
Of lightning through the tempest; -thou dost lie,
Thy giant brood of pines around thee clinging,
Children of elder time, in whose devotion
The chainless winds still come and ever came
To drink their odors, and their mighty swinging
To hear - an old and solemn harmony;
Thine earthly rainbows stretched across the sweep
Of the ethereal waterfall, whose veil
Robes some unsculptured image; the strange sleep
Which when the voices of the desert fail
Wraps all in its own deep eternity;-
Thy caverns echoing to the Arve's commotion,
A loud, lone sound no other sound can tame;
Thou art pervaded with that ceaseless motion,
Thou art the path of that unresting sound-
Dizzy Ravine! and when I gaze on thee
I seem as in a trance sublime and strange
To muse on my own separate fantasy,
My own, my human mind, which passively
Now renders and receives fast influencings,
Holding an unremitting interchange
With the clear universe of things around;
One legion of wild thoughts, whose wandering wings
Now float above thy darkness, and now rest
Where that or thou art no unbidden guest,
In the still cave of the witch Poesy,
Seeking among the shadows that pass by
Ghosts of all things that are, some shade of thee,
Some phantom, some faint image; till the breast
From which they fled recalls them, thou art there!
3
Some say that gleams of a remoter world
Visit the soul in sleep,-that death is slumber,
And that its shapes the busy thoughts outnumber
Of those who wake and live. -I look on high;
Has some unknown omnipotence unfurled
The veil of life and death? or do I lie
In dream, and does the mightier world of sleep
Spread far and round and inaccessibly
Its circles? For the very spirit fails,
Driven like a homeless cloud from steep to steep
That vanishes amon the viewless gales!
Far, far above, piercing the infinite sky,
Mont Blanc appears,-still snowy and serene-
Its subject mountains their unearthly forms
Pile around it, ice and rock; broad vales between
Of frozen floods, unfathomable deeps,
Blue as the overhanging heaven, that spread
And wind among the accumulated steeps;
A desert peopled by the storms alone,
Save when the eagle brings some hunter's bone,
And the wolf tracks her there - how hideously
Its shapes are heaped around! rude, bare, and high,
Ghastly, and scarred, and riven. -Is this the scene
Where the old Earthquake-demon taught her young
Ruin? Were these their toys? or did a sea
Of fire envelop once this silent snow?
None can reply - all seems eternal now.
The wilderness has a mysterious tongue
Which teaches awful doubt, or faith so mild,
So solemn, so serene, that man may be,
But for such faith, with nature reconciled;
Thou hast a voice, great Mountain, to repeal
Large codes of fraud and woe; not understood
By all, but which the wise, and great, and good
Interpret, or make felt, or deeply feel.
4
The fields, the lakes, the forests, and the streams,
Ocean, and all the living things that dwell
Within the daedal earth; lightning, and rain,
Earthquake, and fiery flood, and hurricane,
The torpor of the year when feeble dreams
Visit the hidden buds, or dreamless sleep
Holds every future leaf and flower; -the bound
With which from that detested trance they leap;
The works and ways of man, their death and birth,
And that of him, and all that his may be;
All things that move and breathe with toil and sound
Are born and die; revolve, subside, and swell.
Power dwells apart in its tranquility,
Remote, serene, and inaccessible:
And this, the naked countenance of earth,
On which I gaze, even these primeval mountains
Teach the adverting mind. The glaciers creep
Like snakes that watch their prey, from their far fountains,
Slow rolling on; there, many a precipice,
Frost and the Sun in scorn of mortal power
Have piled: dome, pyramid, and pinnacle,
A city of death, distinct with many a tower
And wall impregnable of beaming ice.
Yet not a city, but a flood of ruin
Is there, that from the boundaries of the sky
Rolls its perpetual stream; vast pines are strewing
Its destined path, or in the mangled soil
Branchless and shattered stand; the rocks, drawn down
From yon remotest waste, have overthrown
The limits of the dead and living world,
Never to be reclaimed. The dwelling-place
Of insects, beasts, and birds, becomes its spoil
Their food and their retreat for ever gone,
So much of life and joy is lost. The race
Of man flies far in dread; his work and dwelling
Vanish, like smoke before the tempest's stream,
And their place is not known. Below, vast caves
Shine in the rushing torrents' restless gleam,
Which from those secret chasms in tumult welling
Meet in the vale, and one majestic River,
The breath and blood of distant lands , for ever
Rolls its loud waters to the ocean-waves,
Breathes its swift vapors to the circling air.
5
Mont Blanc yet gleams on high:-the power is there,
The still and solemn power of many sights,
And many sounds, and much of life and death.
In the calm darkness of the moonless nights,
In the lone glare of day, the snows descend
Upon that mountain; none beholds them there,
Nor when the flakes burn in the sinking sun,
Or the star-beams dart through them:-Winds contend
Silently there, and heap the snow with breath
Rapid and strong, but silently! Its home
The voiceless lightning in these solitudes
Keeps innocently, and like vapor broods
Over the snow. The secret Strength of things
Which governs thought, and to the infinite dome
Of Heaven is as a law, inhabits thee!
And what were thou, and earth, and stars, and sea,
If to the human mind's imaginings
Silence and solitude were vacancy?
Editor 1 Interpretation
Mont Blanc: A Poetic Masterpiece
As I read Percy Bysshe Shelley's Mont Blanc, I am struck by the power of his words to transport me to a different time and place. Shelley's descriptions of the mountain are so vivid that I can almost see the snow-capped peak and feel the chill of the icy winds.
The Power of Nature
Shelley's poem is a celebration of the natural world and its beauty. He begins by describing the mountain as "the monarch of mountains" and goes on to paint a picture of a landscape that is both awe-inspiring and humbling. The poem is full of contrasts, with images of light and dark, warmth and cold, life and death.
It is clear that Shelley has a deep respect for nature and its power. He sees the mountain not as a static object, but as a living, breathing entity that is constantly changing and evolving. He writes:
"The everlasting universe of things
Flows through the mind, and rolls its rapid waves,
Now dark—now glittering—now reflecting gloom—
Now lending splendour, where from secret springs
The source of human thought its tributes brings."
This passage captures the essence of Shelley's philosophy of nature. He sees the mountain as a symbol of the vast, infinite universe, which is constantly in motion and always changing.
The Sublime and the Beautiful
Shelley's poem is also an exploration of the concept of the sublime. The sublime is a term used in aesthetics to describe that which is overwhelming and awe-inspiring, beyond the limits of human comprehension. Shelley contrasts the sublime with the beautiful, which is more familiar and easier to understand.
The mountain, with its sheer size and power, represents the sublime. Shelley writes:
"The inaccessible
To mortal foot—step falls it came,
Marble of high and holy beauty,
Around it, and above, the wide and starry sky,
And the far-off mountains dimly blue,
And the loud torrent, and the night."
Here, Shelley describes the mountain as "inaccessible" to mortal beings, emphasizing its otherworldly nature. He also uses imagery of the night sky and the far-off mountains to create a sense of the vastness of the universe.
The Role of the Poet
As Shelley explores the power of nature and the concept of the sublime, he also reflects on the role of the poet in capturing these ideas in words. He writes:
"But I have sin'd, and have forsworn my task;
Yet when I have not seen the task,
And when I am no more, although my name
Be but a name which no one else shall wear,
Than mine is now, I shall not be wither'd, cold."
Here, Shelley acknowledges the difficulty of capturing the power and beauty of nature in words. He has "sinned" by attempting to do so, but he realizes that even if he fails, his efforts will not be in vain.
Conclusion
In Mont Blanc, Percy Bysshe Shelley creates a vivid and powerful portrait of the natural world. His descriptions of the mountain are both awe-inspiring and humbling, capturing the sublime beauty of the landscape. Shelley explores the role of the poet in capturing these ideas in words, acknowledging the difficulty of the task but also recognizing its importance. This poem is a testament to the power of human imagination and the eternal beauty of nature.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Mont Blanc: A Poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley, one of the most prominent poets of the Romantic era, wrote the poem Mont Blanc in 1816. The poem is a reflection of Shelley's experience of climbing Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, and his contemplation of the sublime power of nature. In this 2000-word analysis, we will delve into the themes, imagery, and language used in the poem to understand Shelley's perspective on the majesty of nature.
The poem is divided into five stanzas, each consisting of fourteen lines. The first stanza sets the scene of the poem, describing the awe-inspiring view of Mont Blanc from a distance. Shelley uses vivid imagery to convey the grandeur of the mountain, describing it as "a monarch of mountains" and "a sea-mark to the stormy wind." The use of personification in the line "And what were thou, and earth, and stars, and sea, / If to the human mind's imaginings / Silence and solitude were vacancy?" highlights the power of the mountain to evoke a sense of wonder and awe in the human mind.
The second stanza shifts the focus to the experience of climbing the mountain. Shelley describes the physical exertion required to climb the mountain, using words such as "toil," "pain," and "struggle." However, he also emphasizes the spiritual and emotional impact of the climb, stating that "the mind, / The unbounded spirit, like a lone eagle, soars / And screams amid the solitary hills." This contrast between the physical and spiritual aspects of the climb highlights the transformative power of nature on the human psyche.
The third stanza is a reflection on the power of nature to inspire creativity and imagination. Shelley describes the "eternal language" of nature, which speaks to the human soul and inspires poetry and art. He also emphasizes the transience of human life in comparison to the enduring power of nature, stating that "Man's yesterday may ne'er be like his morrow; / Nought may endure but Mutability." This theme of the impermanence of human life in the face of nature's enduring power is a recurring motif in Shelley's poetry.
The fourth stanza is a meditation on the interconnectedness of all things in nature. Shelley describes the mountain as a "mighty harmonist," bringing together the elements of earth, air, and water in a symphony of natural beauty. He also emphasizes the interconnectedness of all living things, stating that "The secret Strength of things / Which governs thought, and to the infinite dome / Of Heaven is as a law, inhabits thee!" This theme of the interconnectedness of all things in nature is a central tenet of Romanticism, and Shelley explores it in depth in this stanza.
The final stanza is a reflection on the power of nature to evoke a sense of the sublime in the human mind. Shelley describes the mountain as a "throne of Power," evoking a sense of awe and reverence in the reader. He also emphasizes the transformative power of the sublime, stating that "The awful shadow of some unseen Power / Floats though unseen among us." This theme of the transformative power of the sublime is a central tenet of Romanticism, and Shelley explores it in depth in this stanza.
In terms of language, Shelley uses a variety of poetic devices to convey the themes of the poem. The use of personification, such as in the line "And what were thou, and earth, and stars, and sea," highlights the power of nature to evoke a sense of wonder and awe in the human mind. The use of imagery, such as in the line "The glaciers creep / Like snakes that watch their prey, from their far fountains," creates a vivid picture of the mountain in the reader's mind. The use of metaphor, such as in the line "The secret Strength of things / Which governs thought," highlights the interconnectedness of all things in nature.
In conclusion, Mont Blanc is a powerful reflection on the majesty of nature and its transformative power on the human psyche. Shelley's use of vivid imagery, poetic language, and thematic exploration of the sublime and interconnectedness of all things in nature make this poem a classic of Romantic literature. As we contemplate the enduring power of nature in our own lives, we can draw inspiration from Shelley's words and find solace in the beauty of the natural world.
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