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The Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley
The Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley Author:George Edward Woodberry, Percy Bysshe Shelley Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: POEMS WRITTEN IN 1817. MARIANNE'S DREAM. A PALE Dream came to a Lady fair, And said, " A boon, a boon, I pray 1 I know the secrets of the air ; And thi... more »ngs are lost in the glare of day, Which I can make the sleeping see If they will put their trust in me. II. " And tnou shall know of things unknown, If thou wilt let me rest between The veiny lids whose fringe is thrown Over thine eyes so dark and sheen." And half in hope and half in fright The Lady closed her eyes so bright III. At first all deadly shapes were driven Tumultuously across her sleep, And o'er the vast cope of bending heaven All ghastly-visaged clouds did sweep ; And the Lady ever looked to spy If the golden sun shone forth on high. And, as towards the east she turned, She saw, aloft in the morning air Which now with hues of sunrise burned, A great black anchor rising there; And wherever the Lady turned her eyes It hung before her in the skies. The sky was blue as the summer sea ; The depths were cloudless overhead ; The air was calm as it could be ; There was no sight or sound of dread, But that black anchor floating still Over the piny eastern hill. VI. The Lady grew sick with a weight of fear To see that anchor ever hanging, And veiled her eyes. She then did hear The sound as of a dim low clanging ; And looked abroad if she might know Was it aught else, or but the flow Of the blood in her own veins to and fro. There was a mist in the sunless air, Which shook as it were with an earthquake's shock ; But the very weeds that blossomed there Were moveless, and each mighty rock Stood on its basis steadfastly; The anchor was seen no more on high. Viil But piled around, with summits hid In lines of cloud at intervals, Stood many a m...« less