John Keats

Hyperion
A Fragment



BOOK I

Deep in the shady sadness of a vale
Far sunken from the healthy breath of morn,
Far from the fiery noon, and eve's one star,
Sat gray-hair'd Saturn, quiet as a stone,
Still as the silence round about his lair;
Forest on forest hung about his head
Like cloud on cloud !o stir of air "as there,
!ot so much life as on a summer's day
#obs not one light seed from the feather'd grass,
$ut "here the dead leaf fell, there did it rest
% stream "ent voiceless by, still deadened more
$y reason of his fallen divinity
Spreading a shade& the !aiad 'mid her reeds
'ress'd her cold finger closer to her lips
%long the margin-sand large foot-marks "ent,
!o further than to "here his feet had stray'd,
%nd slept there since (pon the sodden ground
)is old right hand lay nerveless, listless, dead,
(nsceptred; and his realmless eyes "ere closed;
*hile his bo"'d head seem'd list'ning to the +arth,
)is ancient mother, for some comfort yet
,t seem'd no force could "ake him from his place;
$ut there came one, "ho "ith a kindred hand
-ouch'd his "ide shoulders, after bending lo"
*ith reverence, though to one "ho kne" it not
She "as a .oddess of the infant "orld;
$y her in stature the tall %ma/on
)ad stood a pigmy's height; she "ould have ta'en
%chilles by the hair and bent his neck;
0r "ith a finger stay'd ,1ion's "heel
)er face "as large as that of 2emphian sphin1,
'edestal'd haply in a palace court,
*hen sages look'd to +gypt for their lore
$ut oh3 ho" unlike marble "as that face&
)o" beautiful, if sorro" had not made
Sorro" more beautiful than $eauty's self
-here "as a listening fear in her regard,
%s if calamity had but begun;
%s if the van"ard clouds of evil days
)ad spent their malice, and the sullen rear
*as "ith its stored thunder labouring up
0ne hand she press'd upon that aching spot
*here beats the human heart, as if 4ust there,
-hough an immortal, she felt cruel pain&
-he other upon Saturn's bended neck
She laid, and to the level of his ear
Leaning "ith parted lips, some "ords she spake
,n solemn tenour and deep organ tone&
Some mourning "ords, "hich in our feeble tongue
*ould come in these like accents; 0 ho" frail
-o that large utterance of the early .ods3
5Saturn, look up3- though "herefore, poor old 6ing7
5, have no comfort for thee, no not one&
5, cannot say, '0 "herefore sleepest thou7'
5For heaven is parted from thee, and the earth
56no"s thee not, thus afflicted, for a .od;
5%nd ocean too, "ith all its solemn noise,
5)as from thy sceptre pass'd; and all the air
5,s emptied of thine hoary ma4esty
5-hy thunder, conscious of the ne" command,
5#umbles reluctant o'er our fallen house;
5%nd thy sharp lightning in unpractis'd hands
5Scorches and burns our once serene domain
50 aching time3 0 moments big as years3
5%ll as ye pass s"ell out the monstrous truth,
5%nd press it so upon our "eary griefs
5-hat unbelief has not a space to breathe
5Saturn, sleep on&- 0 thoughtless, "hy did ,
5-hus violate thy slumbrous solitude7
5*hy should , ope thy melancholy eyes7
5Saturn, sleep on3 "hile at thy feet , "eep5
%s "hen, upon a tranced summer-night,
-hose green-rob'd senators of mighty "oods,
-all oaks, branch-charmed by the earnest stars,
Dream, and so dream all night "ithout a stir,
Save from one gradual solitary gust
*hich comes upon the silence, and dies off,
%s if the ebbing air had but one "ave;
So came these "ords and "ent; the "hile in tears
She touch'd her fair large forehead to the ground,
8ust "here her falling hair might be outspread
% soft and silken mat for Saturn's feet
0ne moon, "ith alteration slo", had shed
)er silver seasons four upon the night,
%nd still these t"o "ere postured motionless,
Like natural sculpture in cathedral cavern;
-he fro/en .od still couchant on the earth,
%nd the sad .oddess "eeping at his feet&
(ntil at length old Saturn lifted up
)is faded eyes, and sa" his kingdom gone,
%nd all the gloom and sorro" of the place,
%nd that fair kneeling .oddess; and then spake,
%s "ith a palsied tongue, and "hile his beard
Shook horrid "ith such aspen-malady&
50 tender spouse of gold )yperion,
5-hea, , feel thee ere , see thy face;
5Look up, and let me see our doom in it;
5Look up, and tell me if this feeble shape
5,s Saturn's; tell me, if thou hear'st the voice
50f Saturn; tell me, if this "rinkling bro",
5!aked and bare of its great diadem,
5'eers like the front of Saturn *ho had po"er
5-o make me desolate7 "hence came the strength7
5)o" "as it nurtur'd to such bursting forth,
5*hile Fate seem'd strangled in my nervous grasp7
5$ut it is so; and , am smother'd up,
5%nd buried from all godlike e1ercise
50f influence benign on planets pale,
50f admonitions to the "inds and seas,
50f peaceful s"ay above man's harvesting,
5%nd all those acts "hich Deity supreme
5Doth ease its heart of love in- , am gone
5%"ay from my o"n bosom& , have left
52y strong identity, my real self,
5Some"here bet"een the throne, and "here , sit
5)ere on this spot of earth Search, -hea, search3
50pen thine eyes eterne, and sphere them round
5(pon all space& space starr'd, and lorn of light;
5Space region'd "ith life-air; and barren void;
5Spaces of fire, and all the ya"n of hell-
5Search, -hea, search3 and tell me, if thou seest
5% certain shape or shado", making "ay
5*ith "ings or chariot fierce to repossess
5% heaven he lost ere"hile& it must- it must
5$e of ripe progress- Saturn must be 6ing
59es, there must be a golden victory;
5-here must be .ods thro"n do"n, and trumpets blo"n
50f triumph calm, and hymns of festival
5(pon the gold clouds metropolitan,
5:oices of soft proclaim, and silver stir
50f strings in hollo" shells; and there shall be
5$eautiful things made ne", for the surprise
50f the sky-children; , "ill give command&
5-hea3 -hea3 -hea3 "here is Saturn75
-his passion lifted him upon his feet,
%nd made his hands to struggle in the air,
)is Druid locks to shake and oo/e "ith s"eat,
)is eyes to fever out, his voice to cease
)e stood, and heard not -hea's sobbing deep;
% little time, and then again he snatch'd
(tterance thus- 5$ut cannot , create7
5;annot , form7 ;annot , fashion forth
5%nother "orld, another universe,
5-o overbear and crumble this to naught7
5*here is another chaos7 *here75- -hat "ord
Found "ay unto 0lympus, and made quake
-he rebel three- -hea "as startled up,
%nd in her bearing "as a sort of hope,
%s thus she quick-voic'd spake, yet full of a"e
5-his cheers our fallen house& come to our friends,
50 Saturn3 come a"ay, and give them heart;
5, kno" the covert, for thence came , hither5
-hus brief; then "ith beseeching eyes she "ent
*ith back"ard footing through the shade a space&
)e follo"'d, and she turn'd to lead the "ay
-hrough aged boughs, that yielded like the mist
*hich eagles cleave upmounting from their nest
2ean"hile in other realms big tears "ere shed,
2ore sorro" like to this, and such like "oe,
-oo huge for mortal tongue or pen of scribe&
-he -itans fierce, self-hid, or prison-bound,
.roan'd for the old allegiance once more,
%nd listen'd in sharp pain for Saturn's voice
$ut one of the "hole mammoth-brood still kept
)is sov'reignty, and rule, and ma4esty;-
$la/ing )yperion on his orbed fire
Still sat, still snuff'd the incense, teeming up
From man to the sun's .od; yet unsecure&
For as among us mortals omens drear
Fright and perple1, so also shuddered he-
!ot at dog's ho"l, or gloom-bird's hated screech,
0r the familiar visiting of one
(pon the first toll of his passing-bell,
0r prophesyings of the midnight lamp;
$ut horrors, portion'd to a giant nerve,
0ft made )yperion ache )is palace bright
$astion'd "ith pyramids of glo"ing gold,
%nd touch'd "ith shade of bron/ed obelisks,
.lar'd a blood-red through all its thousand courts,
%rches, and domes, and fiery galleries;
%nd all its curtains of %urorian clouds
Flush'd angerly& "hile sometimes eagle's "ings,
(nseen before by .ods or "ondering men,
Darken'd the place; and neighing steeds "ere heard,
!ot heard before by .ods or "ondering men
%lso, "hen he "ould taste the spicy "reaths
0f incense, breath'd aloft from sacred hills,
,nstead of s"eets, his ample palate took
Savour of poisonous brass and metal sick&
%nd so, "hen harbour'd in the sleepy "est,
%fter the full completion of fair day,-
For rest divine upon e1alted couch
%nd slumber in the arms of melody,
)e pac'd a"ay the pleasant hours of ease
*ith stride colossal, on from hall to hall;
*hile far "ithin each aisle and deep recess,
)is "inged minions in close clusters stood,
%ma/'d and full of fear; like an1ious men
*ho on "ide plains gather in panting troops,
*hen earthquakes 4ar their battlements and to"ers
+ven no", "hile Saturn, rous'd from icy trance,
*ent step for step "ith -hea through the "oods,
)yperion, leaving t"ilight in the rear,
;ame slope upon the threshold of the "est;
-hen, as "as "ont, his palace-door fle" ope
,n smoothest silence, save "hat solemn tubes,
$lo"n by the serious <ephyrs, gave of s"eet
%nd "andering sounds, slo"-breathed melodies;
%nd like a rose in vermeil tint and shape,
,n fragrance soft, and coolness to the eye,
-hat inlet to severe magnificence
Stood full blo"n, for the .od to enter in
)e enter'd, but he enter'd full of "rath;
)is flaming robes stream'd out beyond his heels,
%nd gave a roar, as if of earthly fire,
-hat scar'd a"ay the meek ethereal )ours
%nd made their dove-"ings tremble 0n he flared,
From stately nave to nave, from vault to vault,
-hrough bo"ers of fragrant and en"reathed light,
%nd diamond-paved lustrous long arcades,
(ntil he reach'd the great main cupola;
-here standing fierce beneath, he stamped his foot,
%nd from the basement deep to the high to"ers
8arr'd his o"n golden region; and before
-he quavering thunder thereupon had ceas'd,
)is voice leapt out, despite of godlike curb,
-o this result& 50 dreams of day and night3
50 monstrous forms3 0 effigies of pain3
50 spectres busy in a cold, cold gloom3
50 lank-ear'd 'hantoms of black-"eeded pools3
5*hy do , kno" ye7 "hy have , seen ye7 "hy
5,s my eternal essence thus distraught
5-o see and to behold these horrors ne"7
5Saturn is fallen, am , too to fall7
5%m , to leave this haven of my rest,
5-his cradle of my glory, this soft clime,
5-his calm lu1uriance of blissful light,
5-hese crystalline pavilions, and pure fanes,
50f all my lucent empire7 ,t is left
5Deserted, void, nor any haunt of mine
5-he bla/e, the splendour, and the symmetry,
5, cannot see- but darkness, death and darkness
5+ven here, into my centre of repose,
5-he shady visions come to domineer,
5,nsult, and blind, and stifle up my pomp-
5Fall3- !o, by -ellus and her briny robes3
50ver the fiery frontier of my realms
5, "ill advance a terrible right arm
5Shall scare that infant thunderer, rebel 8ove,
5%nd bid old Saturn take his throne again5-
)e spake, and ceas'd, the "hile a heavier threat
)eld struggle "ith his throat but came not forth;
For as in theatres of cro"ded men
)ubbub increases more they call out 5)ush35
So at )yperion's "ords the 'hantoms pale
$estirr'd themselves, thrice horrible and cold;
%nd from the mirror'd level "here he stood
% mist arose, as from a scummy marsh
%t this, through all his bulk an agony
;rept gradual, from the feet unto the cro"n,
Like a lithe serpent vast and muscular
2aking slo" "ay, "ith head and neck convuls'd
From over-strained might #eleas'd, he fled
-o the eastern gates, and full si1 de"y hours
$efore the da"n in season due should blush,
)e breath'd fierce breath against the sleepy portals,
;lear'd them of heavy vapours, burst them "ide
Suddenly on the ocean's chilly streams
-he planet orb of fire, "hereon he rode
+ach day from east to "est the heavens through,
Spun round in sable curtaining of clouds;
!ot therefore veiled quite, blindfold, and hid,
$ut ever and anon the glancing spheres,
;ircles, and arcs, and broad-belting colure,
.lo"'d through, and "rought upon the muffling dark
S"eet-shaped lightnings from the nadir deep
(p to the /enith,- hieroglyphics old
*hich sages and keen-eyed astrologers
-hen living on the earth, "ith labouring thought
*on from the ga/e of many centuries&
!o" lost, save "hat "e find on remnants huge
0f stone, or marble s"art; their import gone,
-heir "isdom long since fled- -"o "ings this orb
'ossess'd for glory, t"o fair argent "ings,
+ver e1alted at the .od's approach&
%nd no", from forth the gloom their plumes immense
#ose, one by one, till all outspreaded "ere;
*hile still the da//ling globe maintain'd eclipse,
%"aiting for )yperion's command
Fain "ould he have commanded, fain took throne
%nd bid the day begin, if but for change
)e might not&- !o, though a primeval .od&
-he sacred seasons might not be disturb'd
-herefore the operations of the da"n
Stay'd in their birth, even as here 'tis told
-hose silver "ings e1panded sisterly,
+ager to sail their orb; the porches "ide
0pen'd upon the dusk demesnes of night;
%nd the bright -itan, phren/ied "ith ne" "oes,
(nus'd to bend, by hard compulsion bent
)is spirit to the sorro" of the time;
%nd all along a dismal rack of clouds,
(pon the boundaries of day and night,
)e stretch'd himself in grief and radiance faint
-here as he lay, the )eaven "ith its stars
Look'd do"n on him "ith pity, and the voice
0f ;oelus, from the universal space,
-hus "hisper'd lo" and solemn in his ear
50 brightest of my children dear, earth-born
5%nd sky-engendered, Son of 2ysteries
5%ll unrevealed even to the po"ers
5*hich met at thy creating; at "hose 4oys
5%nd palpitations s"eet, and pleasures soft,
5,, ;oelus, "onder, ho" they came and "hence;
5%nd at the fruits thereof "hat shapes they be,
5Distinct, and visible; symbols divine,
52anifestations of that beauteous life
5Diffus'd unseen throughout eternal space&
50f these ne"-form'd art thou, oh brightest child3
50f these, thy brethren and the .oddesses3
5-here is sad feud among ye, and rebellion
50f son against his sire , sa" him fall,
5, sa" my first-born tumbled from his throne3
5-o me his arms "ere spread, to me his voice
5Found "ay from forth the thunders round his head3
5'ale "o1 ,, and in vapours hid my face
5%rt thou, too, near such doom7 vague fear there is&
5For , have seen my sons most unlike .ods
5Divine ye "ere created, and divine
5,n sad demeanour, solemn, undisturb'd,
5(nruffled, like high .ods, ye liv'd and ruled&
5!o" , behold in you fear, hope, and "rath;
5%ctions of rage and passion; even as
5, see them, on the mortal "orld beneath,
5,n men "ho die- -his is the grief, 0 Son3
5Sad sign of ruin, sudden dismay, and fall3
59et do thou strive; as thou art capable,
5%s thou canst move about, an evident .od;
5%nd canst oppose to each malignant hour
5+thereal presence&- , am but a voice;
52y life is but the life of "inds and tides,
5!o more than "inds and tides can , avail&-
5$ut thou canst- $e thou therefore in the van
50f circumstance; yea, sei/e the arro"'s barb
5$efore the tense string murmur- -o the earth3
5For there thou "ilt find Saturn, and his "oes
52eantime , "ill keep "atch on thy bright sun,
5%nd of thy seasons be a careful nurse5-
+re half this region-"hisper had come do"n,
)yperion arose, and on the stars
Lifted his curved lids, and kept them "ide
(ntil it ceas'd; and still he kept them "ide&
%nd still they "ere the same bright, patient stars
-hen "ith a slo" incline of his broad breast,
Like to a diver in the pearly seas,
For"ard he stoop'd over the airy shore,
%nd plung'd all noiseless into the deep night

BOOK II

8ust at the self-same beat of -ime's "ide "ings
)yperion slid into the rustled air,
%nd Saturn gain'd "ith -hea that sad place
*here ;ybele and the bruised -itans mourn'd
,t "as a den "here no insulting light
;ould glimmer on their tears; "here their o"n groans
-hey felt, but heard not, for the solid roar
0f thunderous "aterfalls and torrents hoarse,
'ouring a constant bulk, uncertain "here
;rag 4utting forth to crag, and rocks that seem'd
+ver as if 4ust rising from a sleep,
Forehead to forehead held their monstrous horns;
%nd thus in thousand hugest phantasies
2ade a fit roofing to this nest of "oe
,nstead of thrones, hard flint they sat upon,
;ouches of rugged stone, and slaty ridge
Stubborn'd "ith iron %ll "ere not assembled&
Some chain'd in torture, and some "andering
;oeus, and .yges, and $riareus,
-yphon, and Dolor, and 'orphyrion,
*ith many more, the bra"niest in assault,
*ere pent in regions of laborious breath;
Dungeon'd in opaque element, to keep
-heir clenched teeth still clench'd, and all their limbs
Lock'd up like veins of metal, crampt and scre"'d;
*ithout a motion, save of their big hearts
)eaving in pain, and horribly convuls'd
*ith sanguine feverous boiling gurge of pulse
2nemosyne "as straying in the "orld;
Far from her moon had 'hoebe "andered;
%nd many else "ere free to roam abroad,
$ut for the main, here found they covert drear
Scarce images of life, one here, one there,
Lay vast and edge"ays; like a dismal cirque
0f Druid stones, upon a forlorn moor,
*hen the chill rain begins at shut of eve,
,n dull !ovember, and their chancel vault,
-he )eaven itself, is blinded throughout night
+ach one kept shroud, nor to his neighbour gave
0r "ord, or look, or action of despair
;reus "as one; his ponderous iron mace
Lay by him, and a shatter'd rib of rock
-old of his rage, ere he thus sank and pined
,apetus another; in his grasp,
% serpent's plashy neck; its barbed tongue
Squee/'d from the gorge, and all its uncurl'd length
Dead; and because the creature could not spit
,ts poison in the eyes of conquering 8ove
!e1t ;ottus& prone he lay, chin uppermost,
%s though in pain; for still upon the flint
)e ground severe his skull, "ith open mouth
%nd eyes at horrid "orking !earest him
%sia, born of most enormous ;af,
*ho cost her mother -ellus keener pangs,
-hough feminine, than any of her sons&
2ore thought than "oe "as in her dusky face,
For she "as prophesying of her glory;
%nd in her "ide imagination stood
'alm-shaded temples, and high rival fanes,
$y 01us or in .anges' sacred isles
+ven as )ope upon her anchor leans,
So leant she, not so fair, upon a tusk
Shed from the broadest of her elephants
%bove her, on a crag's uneasy shelve,
(pon his elbo" rais'd, all prostrate else,
Shado"'d +nceladus; once tame and mild
%s gra/ing o1 un"orried in the meads;
!o" tiger-passion'd, lion-thoughted, "roth,
)e meditated, plotted, and even no"
*as hurling mountains in that second "ar,
!ot long delay'd, that scar'd the younger .ods
-o hide themselves in forms of beast and bird
!ot far hence %tlas; and beside him prone
'horcus, the sire of .orgons !eighbour'd close
0ceanus, and -ethys, in "hose lap
Sobb'd ;lymene among her tangled hair
,n midst of all lay -hemis, at the feet
0f 0ps the queen all clouded round from sight;
!o shape distinguishable, more than "hen
-hick night confounds the pine-tops "ith the clouds&
%nd many else "hose names may not be told
For "hen the 2use's "ings are air-"ard spread,
*ho shall delay her flight7 %nd she must chaunt
0f Saturn, and his guide, "ho no" had climb'd
*ith damp and slippery footing from a depth
2ore horrid still %bove a sombre cliff
-heir heads appear'd, and up their stature gre"
-ill on the level height their steps found ease&
-hen -hea spread abroad her trembling arms
(pon the precincts of this nest of pain,
%nd sidelong fi1'd her eye on Saturn's face&
-here sa" she direst strife; the supreme .od
%t "ar "ith all the frailty of grief,
0f rage, of fear, an1iety, revenge,
#emorse, spleen, hope, but most of all despair
%gainst these plagues he strove in vain; for Fate
)ad pour'd a mortal oil upon his head,
% disanointing poison& so that -hea,
%ffrighted, kept her still, and let him pass
First on"ards in, among the fallen tribe
%s "ith us mortal men, the laden heart
,s persecuted more, and fever'd more,
*hen it is nighing to the mournful house
*here other hearts are sick of the same bruise;
So Saturn, as he "alk'd into the midst,
Felt faint, and "ould have sunk among the rest,
$ut that he met +nceladus's eye,
*hose mightiness, and a"e of him, at once
;ame like an inspiration; and he shouted,
5-itans, behold your .od35 at "hich some groan'd;
Some started on their feet; some also shouted;
Some "ept, some "ail'd, all bo"'d "ith reverence;
%nd 0ps, uplifting her black folded veil,
Sho"'d her pale cheeks, and all her forehead "an,
)er eye-bro"s thin and 4et, and hollo" eyes
-here is a roaring in the bleak-gro"n pines
*hen *inter lifts his voice; there is a noise
%mong immortals "hen a .od gives sign,
*ith hushing finger, ho" he means to load
)is tongue "ith the full "eight of utterless thought,
*ith thunder, and "ith music, and "ith pomp&
Such noise is like the roar of bleak-gro"n pines&
*hich, "hen it ceases in this mountain'd "orld,
!o other sound succeeds; but ceasing here,
%mong these fallen, Saturn's voice therefrom
.re" up like organ, that begins ane"
,ts strain, "hen other harmonies, stopt short,
Leave the dinn'd air vibrating silverly
-hus gre" it up- 5!ot in my o"n sad breast,
5*hich is its o"n great 4udge and searcher out,
5;an , find reason "hy ye should be thus&
5!ot in the legends of the first of days,
5Studied from that old spirit-leaved book
5*hich starry (ranus "ith finger bright
5Sav'd from the shores of darkness, "hen the "aves
5Lo"-ebb'd still hid it up in shallo" gloom;-
5%nd the "hich book ye kno" , ever kept
5For my firm-based footstool&- %h, infirm3
5!ot there, nor in sign, symbol, or portent
50f element, earth, "ater, air, and fire,-
5%t "ar, at peace, or inter-quarreling
50ne against one, or t"o, or three, or all
5+ach several one against the other three,
5%s fire "ith air loud "arring "hen rain-floods
5Dro"n both, and press them both against earth's face,
5*here, finding sulphur, a quadruple "rath
5(nhinges the poor "orld;- not in that strife,
5*herefrom , take strange lore, and read it deep,
5;an , find reason "hy ye should be thus&
5!o, no- "here can unriddle, though , search,
5%nd pore on !ature's universal scroll
5+ven to s"ooning, "hy ye, Divinities,
5-he first-born of all shap'd and palpable .ods,
5Should co"er beneath "hat, in comparison,
5,s untremendous might 9et ye are here,
50'er"helm'd, and spurn'd, and batter'd, ye are here3

50 -itans, shall , say, '%rise3'- 9e groan&
5Shall , say ';rouch3'- 9e groan *hat can , then7
50 )eaven "ide3 0 unseen parent dear3
5*hat can ,7 -ell me, all ye brethren .ods,
5)o" "e can "ar, ho" engine our great "rath3
50 speak your counsel no", for Saturn's ear
5,s all a-hunger'd -hou, 0ceanus,
5'onderest high and deep; and in thy face
5, see, astonied, that severe content
5*hich comes of thought and musing& give us help35

So ended Saturn; and the .od of the Sea,
Sophist and sage, from no %thenian grove,
$ut cogitation in his "atery shades,
%rose, "ith locks not oo/y, and began,
,n murmurs, "hich his first-endeavouring tongue
;aught infant-like from the far-foamed sands
50 ye, "hom "rath consumes3 "ho, passion-stung,
5*rithe at defeat, and nurse your agonies3
5Shut up your senses, stifle up your ears,
52y voice is not a bello"s unto ire

59et listen, ye "ho "ill, "hilst , bring proof
5)o" ye, perforce, must be content to stoop&
5%nd in the proof much comfort "ill , give,
5,f ye "ill take that comfort in its truth
5*e fall by course of !ature's la", not force
50f thunder, or of 8ove .reat Saturn, thou
5)ast sifted "ell the atom-universe;
5$ut for this reason, that thou art the 6ing,
5%nd only blind from sheer supremacy,
50ne avenue "as shaded from thine eyes,
5-hrough "hich , "andered to eternal truth
5%nd first, as thou "ast not the first of po"ers,
5So art thou not the last; it cannot be&
5-hou art not the beginning nor the end
5From chaos and parental darkness came
5Light, the first fruits of that intestine broil,
5-hat sullen ferment, "hich for "ondrous ends
5*as ripening in itself -he ripe hour came,
5%nd "ith it light, and light, engendering
5(pon its o"n producer, forth"ith touch'd
5-he "hole enormous matter into life
5(pon that very hour, our parentage,
5-he )eavens, and the +arth, "ere manifest&
5-hen thou first born, and "e the giant race,
5Found ourselves ruling ne" and beauteous realms
5!o" comes the pain of truth, to "hom 'tis pain;
50 folly3 for to bear all naked truths,
5%nd to envisage circumstance, all calm,
5-hat is the top of sovereignty 2ark "ell3
5%s )eaven and +arth are fairer, fairer far
5-han ;haos and blank Darkness, though once chiefs;
5%nd as "e sho" beyond that )eaven and +arth
5,n form and shape compact and beautiful,
5,n "ill, in action free, companionship,
5%nd thousand other signs of purer life;
5So on our heels a fresh perfection treads,
5% po"er more strong in beauty, born of us
5%nd fated to e1cel us, as "e pass
5,n glory that old Darkness& nor are "e
5-hereby more conquer'd, than by us the rule
50f shapeless ;haos Say, doth the dull soil
5=uarrel "ith the proud forests it hath fed,
5%nd feedeth still, more comely than itself7
5;an it deny the chiefdom of green groves7
50r shall the tree be envious of the dove
5$ecause it cooeth, and hath sno"y "ings
5-o "ander "here"ithal and find its 4oys7
5*e are such forest-trees, and our fair boughs
5)ave bred forth, not pale solitary doves,
5$ut eagles golden-feather'd, "ho do to"er
5%bove us in their beauty, and must reign
5,n right thereof; for 'tis the eternal la"
5-hat first in beauty should be first in might&
59ea, by that la", another race may drive
50ur conquerors to mourn as "e do no"
5)ave ye beheld the young .od of the Seas,
52y dispossessor7 )ave ye seen his face7
5)ave ye beheld his chariot, foam'd along
5$y noble "inged creatures he hath made7
5, sa" him on the calmed "aters scud,
5*ith such a glo" of beauty in his eyes,
5-hat it enforc'd me to bid sad fare"ell
5-o all my empire& fare"ell sad , took,
5%nd hither came, to see ho" dolorous fate
5)ad "rought upon ye; and ho" , might best
5.ive consolation in this "oe e1treme
5#eceive the truth, and let it be your balm5
*hether through po/'d conviction, or disdain,
-hey guarded silence, "hen 0ceanus
Left murmuring, "hat deepest thought can tell7
$ut so it "as, none ans"er'd for a space,
Save one "hom none regarded, ;lymene;
%nd yet she ans"er'd not, only complain'd,
*ith hectic lips, and eyes up-looking mild,
-hus "ording timidly among the fierce&
50 Father, , am here the simplest voice,
5%nd all my kno"ledge is that 4oy is gone,
5%nd this thing "oe crept in among our hearts,
5-here to remain for ever, as , fear&
5, "ould not bode of evil, if , thought
5So "eak a creature could turn off the help
5*hich by 4ust right should come of mighty .ods;
59et let me tell my sorro", let me tell
50f "hat , heard, and ho" it made me "eep,
5%nd kno" that "e had parted from all hope
5, stood upon a shore, a pleasant shore,
5*here a s"eet clime "as breathed from a land
50f fragrance, quietness, and trees, and flo"ers
5Full of calm 4oy it "as, as , of grief;
5-oo full of 4oy and soft delicious "armth;
5So that , felt a movement in my heart
5-o chide, and to reproach that solitude
5*ith songs of misery, music of our "oes;
5%nd sat me do"n, and took a mouthed shell
5%nd murmur'd into it, and made melody-
50 melody no more3 for "hile , sang,
5%nd "ith poor skill let pass into the bree/e
5-he dull shell's echo, from a bo"ery strand
58ust opposite, an island of the sea,
5-here came enchantment "ith the shifting "ind,
5-hat did both dro"n and keep alive my ears
5, thre" my shell a"ay upon the sand,
5%nd a "ave fill'd it, as my sense "as fill'd
5*ith that ne" blissful golden melody
5% living death "as in each gush of sounds,
5+ach family of rapturous hurried notes,
5-hat fell, one after one, yet all at once,
5Like pearl beads dropping sudden from their string&
5%nd then another, then another strain,
5+ach like a dove leaving its olive perch,
5*ith music "ing'd instead of silent plumes,
5-o hover round my head, and make me sick
50f 4oy and grief at once .rief overcame,
5%nd , "as stopping up my frantic ears,
5*hen, past all hindrance of my trembling hands,
5% voice came s"eeter, s"eeter than all tune,
5%nd still it cried, '%pollo3 young %pollo3'
5'-he morning-bright %pollo3 young %pollo3'
5, fled, it follo"'d me, and cried '%pollo3'
50 Father, and 0 $rethren, had ye felt
5-hose pains of mine; 0 Saturn, hadst thou felt,
59e "ould not call this too indulged tongue
5'resumptuous, in thus venturing to be heard5
So far her voice flo"'d on, like timorous brook
-hat, lingering along a pebbled coast,
Doth fear to meet the sea& but sea it met,
%nd shudder'd; for the over"helming voice
0f huge +nceladus s"allo"'d it in "rath&
-he ponderous syllables, like sullen "aves
,n the half-glutted hollo"s of reef-rocks,
;ame booming thus, "hile still upon his arm
)e lean'd; not rising, from supreme contempt
50r shall "e listen to the over-"ise,
50r to the over-foolish, .iant-.ods7
5!ot thunderbolt on thunderbolt, till all
5-hat rebel 8ove's "hole armoury "ere spent,
5!ot "orld on "orld upon these shoulders piled,
5;ould agoni/e me more than baby-"ords
5,n midst of this dethronement horrible
5Speak3 roar3 shout3 yell3 ye sleepy -itans all
5Do ye forget the blo"s, the buffets vile7
5%re ye not smitten by a youngling arm7
5Dost thou forget, sham 2onarch of the *aves,
5-hy scalding in the seas7 *hat, have , rous'd
59our spleens "ith so fe" simple "ords as these7
50 4oy3 for no" , see ye are not lost&
50 4oy3 for no" , see a thousand eyes
5*ide-glaring for revenge35- %s this he said,
)e lifted up his stature vast, and stood,
Still "ithout intermission speaking thus&

5!o" ye are flames, ,'ll tell you ho" to burn,
5%nd purge the ether of our enemies;
5)o" to feed fierce the crooked stings of fire,
5%nd singe a"ay the s"ollen clouds of 8ove,
5Stifling that puny essence in its tent
50 let him feel the evil he hath done;
5For though , scorn 0ceanus's lore,
52uch pain have , for more than loss of realms&
5-he days of peace and slumberous calm are fled;
5-hose days, all innocent of scathing "ar,

5*hen all the fair +1istences of heaven
5;ame open-eyed to guess "hat "e "ould speak&-
5-hat "as before our bro"s "ere taught to fro"n,
5$efore our lips kne" else but solemn sounds;
5-hat "as before "e kne" the "inged thing,
5:ictory, might be lost, or might be "on
5%nd be ye mindful that )yperion,
50ur brightest brother, still is undisgraced-
5)yperion, lo3 his radiance is here35
%ll eyes "ere on +nceladus's face,
%nd they beheld, "hile still )yperion's name
Fle" from his lips up to the vaulted rocks,
% pallid gleam across his features stern&
!ot savage, for he sa" full many a .od
*roth as himself )e look'd upon them all,
%nd in each face he sa" a gleam of light,
$ut splendider in Saturn's, "hose hoar locks
Shone like the bubbling foam about a keel
*hen the pro" s"eeps into a midnight cove
,n pale and silver silence they remain'd,
-ill suddenly a splendour, like the morn,
'ervaded all the beetling gloomy steeps,
%ll the sad spaces of oblivion,
%nd every gulf, and every chasm old,
%nd every height, and every sullen depth,
:oiceless, or hoarse "ith loud tormented streams&
%nd all the everlasting cataracts,
%nd all the headlong torrents far and near,
2antled before in darkness and huge shade,
!o" sa" the light and made it terrible
,t "as )yperion&- a granite peak
)is bright feet touch'd, and there he stay'd to vie"
-he misery his brilliance had betray'd
-o the most hateful seeing of itself
.olden his hair of short !umidian curl,
#egal his shape ma4estic, a vast shade
,n midst of his o"n brightness, like the bulk
0f 2emnon's image at the set of sun
-o one "ho travels from the dusking +ast&
Sighs, too, as mournful as that 2emnon's harp
)e utter'd, "hile his hands contemplative
)e press'd together, and in silence stood
Despondence sei/'d again the fallen .ods
%t sight of the de4ected 6ing of Day,
%nd many hid their faces from the light&
$ut fierce +nceladus sent forth his eyes
%mong the brotherhood; and, at their glare,
(prose ,apetus, and ;reus too,
%nd 'horcus, sea-born, and together strode
-o "here he to"ered on his eminence
-here those four shouted forth old Saturn's name;
)yperion from the peak loud ans"ered, 5Saturn35
Saturn sat near the 2other of the .ods,
,n "hose face "as no 4oy, though all the .ods
.ave from their hollo" throats the name of 5Saturn35

BOOK III

-hus in alternate uproar and sad peace,
%ma/ed "ere those -itans utterly
0 leave them, 2use3 0 leave them to their "oes;
For thou art "eak to sing such tumults dire&
% solitary sorro" best befits
-hy lips, and antheming a lonely grief
Leave them, 0 2use3 for thou anon "ilt find
2any a fallen old Divinity
*andering in vain about be"ildered shores
2eantime touch piously the Delphic harp,
%nd not a "ind of heaven but "ill breathe
,n aid soft "arble from the Dorian flute;
For lo3 'tis for the Father of all verse
Flush every thing that hath a vermeil hue,
Let the rose glo" intense and "arm the air,
%nd let the clouds of even and of morn
Float in voluptuous fleeces o'er the hills;
Let the red "ine "ithin the goblet boil,
;old as a bubbling "ell; let faint-lipp'd shells,
0n sands, or in great deeps, vermilion turn
-hrough all their labyrinths; and let the maid
$lush keenly, as "ith some "arm kiss surpris'd
;hief isle of the embo"ered ;yclades,
#e4oice, 0 Delos, "ith thine olives green,
%nd poplars, and la"n-shading palms, and beech,
,n "hich the <ephyr breathes the loudest song,
%nd ha/els thick, dark-stemm'd beneath the shade&
%pollo is once more the golden theme3
*here "as he, "hen the .iant of the Sun
Stood bright, amid the sorro" of his peers7
-ogether had he left his mother fair
%nd his t"in-sister sleeping in their bo"er,
%nd in the morning t"ilight "andered forth
$eside the osiers of a rivulet,
Full ankle-deep in lillies of the vale
-he nightingale had ceas'd, and a fe" stars
*ere lingering in the heavens, "hile the thrush
$egan calm-throated -hroughout all the isle
-here "as no covert, no retired cave
(nhaunted by the murmurous noise of "aves,
-hough scarcely heard in many a green recess
)e listen'd, and he "ept, and his bright tears
*ent trickling do"n the golden bo" he held
-hus "ith half-shut suffused eyes he stood,
*hile from beneath some cumbrous boughs hard by
*ith solemn step an a"ful .oddess came,
%nd there "as purport in her looks for him,
*hich he "ith eager guess began to read
'erple1'd, the "hile melodiously he said&
5)o" cam'st thou over the unfooted sea7
50r hath that antique mien and robed form
52ov'd in these vales invisible till no"7
5Sure , have heard those vestments s"eeping o'er
5-he fallen leaves, "hen , have sat alone
5,n cool mid-forest Surely , have traced
5-he rustle of those ample skirts about
5-hese grassy solitudes, and seen the flo"ers
5Lift up their heads, as still the "hisper pass'd
5.oddess3 , have beheld those eyes before,
5%nd their eternal calm, and all that face,
50r , have dream'd5- 59es,5 said the supreme shape,
5-hou hast dream'd of me; and a"aking up
5Didst find a lyre all golden by thy side,
5*hose strings touch'd by thy fingers, all the vast
5(n"earied ear of the "hole universe
5Listen'd in pain and pleasure at the birth
50f such ne" tuneful "onder ,s't not strange
5-hat thou shouldst "eep, so gifted7 -ell me, youth,
5*hat sorro" thou canst feel; for , am sad
5*hen thou dost shed a tear& e1plain thy griefs
5-o one "ho in this lonely isle hath been
5-he "atcher of thy sleep and hours of life,
5From the young day "hen first thy infant hand
5'luck'd "itless the "eak flo"ers, till thine arm
5;ould bend that bo" heroic to all times
5Sho" thy heart's secret to an ancient 'o"er
5*ho hath forsaken old and sacred thrones
5For prophecies of thee, and for the sake
50f loveliness ne" born5- %pollo then,
*ith sudden scrutiny and gloomless eyes,
-hus ans"er'd, "hile his "hite melodious throat
-hrobb'd "ith the syllables- 52nemosyne3
5-hy name is on my tongue, , kno" not ho";
5*hy should , tell thee "hat thou so "ell seest7
5*hy should , strive to sho" "hat from thy lips
5*ould come no mystery7 For me, dark, dark,
5%nd painful vile oblivion seals my eyes&
5, strive to search "herefore , am so sad,
5(ntil a melancholy numbs my limbs;
5%nd then upon the grass , sit, and moan,
5Like one "ho once had "ings- 0 "hy should ,
5Feel curs'd and th"arted, "hen the liegeless air
59ields to my step aspirant7 "hy should ,
5Spurn the green turf as hateful to my feet7
5.oddess benign, point forth some unkno"n thing&
5%re there not other regions than this isle7
5*hat are the stars7 -here is the sun, the sun3
5%nd the most patient brilliance of the moon3
5%nd stars by thousands3 'oint me out the "ay
5-o any one particular beauteous star,
5%nd , "ill flit into it "ith my lyre
5%nd make its silvery splendour pant "ith bliss
5, have heard the cloudy thunder& *here is po"er7

5*hose hand, "hose essence, "hat divinity
52akes this alarum in the elements,
5*hile , here idle listen on the shores
5,n fearless yet in aching ignorance7
50 tell me, lonely .oddess, by thy harp,
5-hat "aileth every morn and eventide,
5-ell me "hy thus , rave, about these groves3
52ute thou remainest- mute3 yet , can read
5% "ondrous lesson in thy silent face&
56no"ledge enormous makes a .od of me
5!ames, deeds, grey legends, dire events, rebellions,
52a4esties, sovran voices, agonies,
5;reations and destroyings, all at once
5'our into the "ide hollo"s of my brain,
5%nd deify me, as if some blithe "ine
50r bright eli1ir peerless , had drunk,
5%nd so become immortal5- -hus the .od,
*hile his enkindled eyes, "ith level glance
$eneath his "hite soft temples, stedfast kept
-rembling "ith light upon 2nemosyne
Soon "ild commotions shook him, and made flush
%ll the immortal fairness of his limbs
,nto a hue more roseate than s"eet pain
.ives to a ravish'd !ymph "hen her "arm tears
.ush luscious "ith no sob 0r more severe,-
2ore like the struggle at the gate of death;
0r liker still to one "ho should take leave
0f pale immortal death, and "ith a pang
%s hot as death's is chill, "ith fierce convulse
Die into life& so young %pollo anguish'd&
)is very hair, his golden tresses famed
6ept undulation round his eager neck
During the pain 2nemosyne upheld
)er arms as one "ho prophesied- %t length
%pollo shriek'd;- and lo3 from all his limbs
;elestial .lory da"n'd& he "as a god3

THE END