A Song of Shelley

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  • Raoul D'Harmental
    Senior Member
    • Mar 2016
    • 268

    A Song of Shelley

    Shelley! I sing to thee beneath the heath.
    Heart of hearts, above thee, the brooding tower
    Evokes despairing thoughts of the sad hour
    Life fled and left you to flounder beneath
    Lerici's tides until you felt Death's sting.
    Enduring, though, your name is, which I sing,
    Yoked to your songs which through the ages ring!


    [I recently visited the graves of my favourite poets Shelley and Keats where they rest in the shadow of a pyramid in a corner of Rome. On a plaque close to Keats' grave is the following acrostic ( Keats asked for the inscription 'His name is writ on water' to be put on his tombstone because he believed he would not be remembered after his death because his poetry was criticized whilst alive):

    Keats! if thy cherished name be "writ in water"
    Each drop has fallen from some mourner's cheek;
    Assured tribute; such as heroes seek,
    Though oft in vain - for dazzling deeds of slaughter
    Sleep on! Not honoured less for Epitaph so meek!

    The image below is of Shelley's grave with the inscription 'Cor Cordium' meaning 'Heart of Hearts'. As I stood before the grave which is directly underneath a ramshackle brick tower, the words of the poem above came to me. Shelley died in a boating accident in Lerici, Italy , drowning because he couldn't swim. He was a month shy of turning 30. Happy reading if you do! R.]
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    Last edited by Raoul D'Harmental; 09-05-2017, 05:48 AM.
  • RhymeLovingWriter
    Administrator
    • Apr 2016
    • 7367
    • Resting on a smile...
      RhymeLovingWriter (RLW)

    #2
    I loved this! History, mystery, and beauty all writ into verse. Simply wonderful Raoul. Thank you for sharing the experience.

    Comment

  • Muttado1sb
    Master of the Forum
    • Apr 2016
    • 2016
    • Nothing to see here
      Just a spiller of blather
      Quite common, really

    #3
    Nice, Raoul! Taking the acrostic idea from the Keats epitaph and creating one for your other favorite, Shelley, was a wonderful idea that turned out quite good! As RLW said, thanks for sharing the experience and bit of history that was the inspiration.

    Comment

    • Johntee
      Master of the Forum
      • Jun 2017
      • 1758

      #4
      How did I miss this?
      In redress
      it gets
      a late thumbs up

      Comment

      • lunar glide
        Master of the Forum
        • Apr 2016
        • 1949

        #5
        thank you for sharing this one. it renews my appreciation for the classics

        Comment

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