Cancelled Fragments of "Prometheus Unbound"
(following 1.37.)When thou descendst each night with open eyesIn torture, for a tyrant seldom sleeps,Thou never; ...
(following 1.195.)Which thou henceforth art doomed to interweave
(following the first two words of 1.342.)The crown, or trampled refuse of the worldWith but one law itself a glorious boon--I gave--
(following 1.707.)I leaped on the wings of the Earth-star dampAs it rose on the steam of a slaughtered camp--The sleeping newt heard not our trampAs swift as the wings of fire may pass--We threaded the points of long thick grassWhich hide the green pools of the morassBut shook a water-serpent's couchIn a cleft skull, of many suchThe widest; at the meteor's touchThe snake did seem to see in dreamThrones and dungeons overthrownVisions how unlike his own...'Twas the hope the prophecyWhich begins and ends in thee
(following 2.1.110.)Lift up thine eyes Panthea--they pierce they burn
PANTHEA:Alas! I am consumed--I melt awayThe fire is in my heart--
ASIA:Thine eyes burn burn!--Hide them within thine hair--
PANTHEA:O quench thy lipsI sink I perish
ASIA:Shelter me now--they burnIt is his spirit in their orbs...my lifeIs ebbing fast--I cannot speak--
PANTHEA:Rest, rest!Sleep death annihilation pain! aught else
(following 2.4.27.)Or looks which tell that while the lips are calmAnd the eyes cold, the spirit weeps withinTears like the sanguine sweat of agony;
(following 2.5.71.)
ASIA:You said that spirits spoke, but it was theeSweet sister, for even now thy curved lipsTremble as if the sound were dying thereNot dead
PANTHEA:Alas it was Prometheus spokeWithin me, and I know it must be soI mixed my own weak nature with his love...And my thoughtsAre like the many forests of a valeThrough which the might of whirlwind and of rainHad passed--they rest rest through the evening lightAs mine do now in thy beloved smile.
(following 1.221.)
(following 1.520.)
Words in this poem
- henceforth adv.
- From this time forward; henceforward.
- glorious a.
- Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
- boon n.
- A prayer or petition. [OE. bone, boin, a petition, fr. Icel. b; akin to Sw. & Dan. b, AS. b, and perh. to E. ban; but influenced by F. bon good, fr. L. bonus. Ban, Bounty.]
- morass n.
- A tract of soft, wet ground; a marsh; a fen. Morass ore. (Min.) See Bog ore, under Bog. [OE. marras, mareis (perh. through D. moeras), fr. F. marais, prob. from L. mare sea, in LL., any body of water; but perh. influenced by some German word. See Me]
- shook v. t.
- To pack, as staves, in a shook.
- aught n.
- Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
- spoke n.
- The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
- vale n.
- A tract of low ground, or of land between hills; a valley. [OE. val, F. val, L. vallis; perhaps akin to Gr. Avalanche, Vail to lower, Valley.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Cancelled Fragments of "Prometheus Unbound" is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley — Volume 1, Project Gutenberg ebook #4797; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Percy Bysshe Shelley, Cancelled Fragments of "Prometheus Unbound", in The Complete Poetical Works, Volume I (1813–1820), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #4797, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/shelley-poems/cancelled-fragments-of-prometheus-unbound.html, id L00236.
Form and metre
Cancelled Fragments of "Prometheus Unbound" is 64 lines in 16 stanzas. 89% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 6.9 syllables. 19 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 53% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 4 -AAABBB-CC-DD-- — · dampA · campA · trampA · passB · grassB · morassB · couch · suchC · touchC · dream · overthrownD · ownD · prophecy · thee
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| (following 1.37.) | 3 | /˘˘ |
| When thou descendst each night with open eyes | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| In torture, for a tyrant seldom sleeps, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Thou never; ... | 3 | ·/˘ |
| (following 1.195.) | 3 | /˘˘ |
| Which thou henceforth art doomed to interweave | 10 | ··//····˘/ |
| (following the first two words of 1.342.) | 8 | /˘˘····· |
| The crown, or trampled refuse of the world | 10 | ···/˘/···· |
| With but one law itself a glorious boon-- | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| I gave-- | 2 | ·· |
| (following 1.707.) | 3 | /˘˘ |
| I leaped on the wings of the Earth-star damp | 10 | ·········· |
| As it rose on the steam of a slaughtered camp-- | 11 | ········/˘· |
| The sleeping newt heard not our tramp | 9 | ·/˘···/˘· |
| As swift as the wings of fire may pass-- | 10 | ······/˘·· |
| We threaded the points of long thick grass | 9 | ·/˘······ |
| Which hide the green pools of the morass | 9 | ·······˘/ |
| But shook a water-serpent's couch | 8 | ···/˘/˘· |
| In a cleft skull, of many such | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| The widest; at the meteor's touch | 9 | ·/˘··/˘˘· |
| The snake did seem to see in dream | 8 | ········ |
| Thrones and dungeons overthrown | 7 | ··/˘·˘/ |
| Visions how unlike his own... | 7 | /˘·˘/·· |
| 'Twas the hope the prophecy | 7 | ····/˘˘ |
| Which begins and ends in thee | 7 | ·˘/···· |
| (following 2.1.110.) | 3 | /˘˘ |
| Lift up thine eyes Panthea--they pierce they burn | 10 | ····/˘···· |
| PANTHEA: | 3 | /˘˘ |
| Alas! I am consumed--I melt away | 10 | ˘/··˘/··˘/ |
| The fire is in my heart-- | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| ASIA: | 2 | /˘ |
| Thine eyes burn burn!-- | 4 | ···· |
| Hide them within thine hair-- | 6 | ······ |
| PANTHEA: | 3 | /˘˘ |
| O quench thy lips | 4 | ···· |
| I sink I perish | 5 | ···/˘ |
| ASIA: | 2 | /˘ |
| Shelter me now--they burn | 6 | /˘···· |
| It is his spirit in their orbs...my life | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Is ebbing fast--I cannot speak-- | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| PANTHEA: | 3 | /˘˘ |
| Rest, rest! | 2 | ·· |
| Sleep death annihilation pain! aught else | 10 | ··˘·˘/˘··· |
| (following 2.4.27.) | 3 | /˘˘ |
| Or looks which tell that while the lips are calm | 10 | ·········· |
| And the eyes cold, the spirit weeps within | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Tears like the sanguine sweat of agony; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘˘ |
| (following 2.5.71.) | 3 | /˘˘ |
| ASIA: | 2 | /˘ |
| You said that spirits spoke, but it was thee | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Sweet sister, for even now thy curved lips | 10 | ·/˘·/˘···· |
| Tremble as if the sound were dying there | 10 | /˘·····/˘· |
| Not dead | 2 | ·· |
| PANTHEA: | 3 | /˘˘ |
| Alas it was Prometheus spoke | 9 | ˘/··˘/˘˘· |
| Within me, and I know it must be so | 10 | ·········· |
| I mixed my own weak nature with his love | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| ...And my thoughts | 3 | ··· |
| Are like the many forests of a vale | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Through which the might of whirlwind and of rain | 10 | ·····/···· |
| Had passed--they rest rest through the evening light | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| As mine do now in thy beloved smile. | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| (following 1.221.) | 3 | /˘˘ |
| (following 1.520.) | 3 | /˘˘ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.