Reading Response 3: Panoptic Perpectives in Shelley's Mont Blanc: Collapsed Distance and the Alpine Sublime"

In Joan Reiss Wry's "Panoptic Perspectives in Shelley's Mont Blanc: Collapsed Distance and the Alpine Sublime" analysis and describes the poem Mont Blanc and Shelley’s writing style. Wry breaks Mont Blanc into sections and begins to describe the first stanza as somewhat confusing yet very imaginatively detailed. The poem begins at the Arve River, which is far below the summit of Mont Blanc. He continues to describe the poem at the second stanza. Shelley begins to bring out a natural and calming environment that gives a full view of the scene. Wry also brings out points in Shelley’s writing about his natural themes where he gives nature all powers and shows a life cycle. He also describes how Shelley’s writing is unique compared to other romantic poets as described “Shelley imaginatively places himself on the clouded mountains,” instead of a distanced view that most authors would compose. Shelley actively places himself on the mountain and writes as if he were experiencing everything that was occurring on Mont Blanc which creates a great image for the reader. Wry also brings a great point at which Shelley begins to wonder if he is awake or dreaming because of the great beauty and power Mont Blanc presents him. This article relates to this blog in terms of Shelley’s literary ways. The article analyzes Shelley’s views and descriptions of nature and how he incorporates the life cycle in the majority of his writing. He also brings a clear image of the natural world as Mont Blanc has a cycle in itself which is powerful, beautiful and destructive. The destructibility describes how the circle of life continues because destroying objects creates a new power or beauty of nature which is reborn as a pure and new object to be rebuilt again, as shown with the glaciers that melt to become run-off and add back to the powerful Arve River. 

 By reading this article, I gained a great understanding of Mont Blanc that I had lacked in the beginning. I did not understand this poem and the way Wry’s broke each stanza down really gave me a more clear and concise understanding. Shelley often has a writing style of a happening-right-at-this-moment which is shown as he gives a distinct image of the scenes of his poetry. Shelley’s poetry often shows a living scene which is shown in Mont Blanc as well as Autumn: A Dirge. As Shelley gives a very descriptive scene of the rivers power, it also shows how nature’s figures, such as rivers and mountains, combined to create a body and one main power united. Although Shelley’s poetry reflects natural scenes, it also can bring you through an emotional journey. I compare the poem and power of Mont Blanc, to the life of a human being as it grows through phases to create a powerful living being. It also shows the many different altitudes one must go through to achieve success. Shelley shows how the human mind can be blinded by their motivations and overlook the natural beauty in something by pushing and rushing through without evaluating the situation. I agree with Wry with the description that Shelley brings a different type of Romantic Poetry such that he writes deeper and more upfront with nature than most Romantic Poets. Shelley describes Mont Blanc in such detailed and extreme ways that a regular human being would take for granted and overlook the actual power and beauty it presents. Shelley shows the power of nature in a variety of ways other than just describing its power, but bringing you to the scene and evaluating its natural power and beauty. He shows the reader a different understanding of nature, the way he believes humans should perceive the natural world. Shelley gives a great point that humans should be using nature to their advantage instead of destroying it to their power. He gives a different point of view to many things a human can experience in their lifetime and explains the true meaning of nature and the way the Earth should really be thought of and used. Many people take for granted the true beauty of this planet and underestimate the power the Earth can have which Shelley points out and truly gives a deep meaning to the natural world.

Reading Response #3

      Author W.B. Yeats expresses his opinions on the well-known works of Percy Bysshe Shelley, in his critical essay, “The Philosophy of Shelley’s Poetry. In his essay, Yeats talks about Shelley being too apprehensive to push his arguments about his views on political regeneration and how the poet intertwines great poetry with great rhetoric thought full of sensitivity. Not only does Yeats talk about those two main topics, he also talked about Shelley being a revolutionist and how he wanted to be a metaphysician. Before Shelley discovered his deepest thoughts, he wrote a poem, “Queen Mab”, where he was “less anxious to change men’s beliefs” (Yeats, The Philosophy of Shelley’s Poetry). In Yeats’ eyes Shelley acknowledges over and over again that those who have “pure desire and universal love” (Yeats, The Philosophy of Shelley’s Poetry) are happy in the midst of oppression. This connects to the idea of being too apprehensive because Shelley did not believe that change of society can bring beauty among people without rejuvenation of people’s hearts. However, he did have the chance to change the minds of many readers, but was again, too timid to push his own arguments. While in “Mont Blanc”, Shelley uses the poem as an analogy to establish that the soul has its foundation in “the secret strength of things which governs thoughts, and to the infinite dome of heaven is as a law” (Yeats, The Philosophy of Shelley’s Poetry). The idea from “Mont Blanc” ties in with the idea of Shelley intertwining great poetry with his rhetoric thoughts full of sensitivity because he states that the soul comes from within us, he discusses this in another one of his poems, “Julian and Maddalo”, saying, “The soul is powerless and can only toll our thoughts and our desires to meet below round the rent heart and pray” (Yeats, The Philosophy of Shelley’s Poetry). Shelley is being sensitive about the soul in a way that he can reply like the makers of all religions have replied. Going back to “Mont Blanc” Shelley uses it to personify amoral power, which prepares for the big rhetoric question. Towards the end of his essay, Yeats expresses that Shelley had reawakened, in himself, the age of faith; although there were times where he would doubt himself, going back to being apprehensive, just like the saints doubted themselves.  

          Even though Shelley had doubts about his own beliefs, what really impressed me the most was that he still went on to be a very well known Romantic poet. His poems mainly talk about how mankind is connected with nature, and how nature can be a symbol of mankind. For example, in “Mont Blanc” the mountain represented power, and in “Love’s Philosophy” he explains that nothing in the world is single and it is surrounded by divine things. When reading his poems, it does not seem like he had doubted himself in the first place. It seemed like his main ideas in each one of his poems were written with great confidence and pride because the tone of the poem does not sound like Shelley was in doubt at all.  I feel that when Shelley uses some of his philosophical beliefs, his background of being a revolutionist and an almost metaphysician plays a part in some if his work, especially in “Mont Blanc” when Shelley discusses his philosophy on perception. There were two different views in the poem, the individual mind and the universal mind, each having a different view of the world and humans. In my eyes, he includes the two views to help us have a bigger understanding of his beliefs and to put a new perspective about nature into our minds. Nature means a lot to the Romantic poets, in fact, they use it as a kind of meditation.  As for Shelley, he uses nature as a symbol of humans, for example he uses pine trees as human values, a Ravine as an emblem of the universal mind, and of course Mont Blanc as a symbol of power. By relating nature to human characteristics, the analogies can teach us a lot about ourselves and how we are affecting the world. After reading this article Yeats had put a whole new idea about Shelley in my mind and he had taught me some things I did not know about Shelley. He is truly one of the greatest Romantic poets. 

Prose Poem: One Large Dream

I always had a dream, of working at a veterinary clinic, I also dreamed of owning a veterinary clinic.

I worked at pet shops, equestrian barns, and for people, caring for animals.

Little by little, my dream will come true.

I knew my schooling would be long, at eight years minimum in college, but I knew college would be worth it and I could make it enjoyable.

I was never sure what college I wanted to go to until freshman year of high school, that being Oregon State University, one of the top schools in veterinary medicine.

My dreams continue to push me to strive in school.

Little by little, my dream will come true.

Sophomore year, I knew I needed to look more deeply into the veterinary career.

I looked for veterinary clinics that offered volunteer positions.

I found just that clinic in January of 2010, The Village Vet Animal Hospital, only two minutes from home.

Little by little, my dream will come true.

I worked for six months, a total of 115 hours, and earned half a high school credit for community service.

When my time as a volunteer came to an end in June, I wanted to stay, but I knew I needed an income, now driving and needing gas money.

I walked in on my last day, dreading this day but thinking of the possibilities of working in September again, I turn to my boss to tell her hello and she says, “We would like to offer you a position as a kennel attendant.” This was joy to my ears!

Little by little, my dream will come true.

I begin working great hours in the summer, and continue to work through the school year of at least 10-12 hours a week.

Not only am I considered a kennel attendant, but I participate and complete the tasks of a veterinary assistant.

Knowing I am capable of completing my dream pushes me further and further every day.

Little by little, my dream will come true.

I really despise having the knowledge and skill to be a veterinary assistant now, without school.

I still have to push through schooling, just to get that one piece of paper that declares I am a veterinarian.

I love hearing from my co-workers and boss, you are going to make a great veterinarian some day.

Little by little, my dream will come true.

Having thoughts that I am only one year away now from college, brings me joy.

Having a wonderful place of employment that will offer me Letters of Recommendation for college, drives  me.

Having a wonderful staff and veterinarians that teach me skills of veterinary medicine, inspires me.

My dream is beginning to come true, little by little every day.

The Blogging Community: Percy Bysshe Shelley

Besides this blog, another great Percy Bysshe Shelley informational site is called Percy Shelley (Click to visit) by Dulce Roque, Kailee Phillips, and Lauryn Hartung. I appreciated that this site offers a great variety of information ranging from Shelley’s poetry, to detailed information about his life. 

I found their post titled “Percy Shelley’s View on Death” to be most interesting because it gives a very informational explanation of how Shelley perceived death as not only a pity, but of beauty because it continues the life cycle. This posting had the largest effect on me because thinking about waking up on a new day as one day closer to death, is a very mind-twisting thought. This post is extremely relevant to Shelley’s work because he was often finding ways to write about the natural circle of life and explaining the significance of the season autumn as it shows a natural death to being reborn and life. It also brings almost every point Shelley tried to convey in his work by explaining the natural beauty, the life cycle, and the many ways nature works to continue life in different forms.

They also have a video on their blog that is the same as on this blog, that article is called, “Percy Shelley; A Closer Look.” The summary takes a more personal understand and I really admire when it talks about “ozymandias” and what this word truly means. This posting gives a more personal look at the facts of Shelley rather than a complete factual summary, and I enjoyed reading it. The video is great for a detailed look at Shelley’s life and poetry and is not a boring video to watch, like most biographic videos.

By examining this blog, one can grip a great understanding of Percy Shelley as an author, a husband, a romantic poet, and a human being. It shows a great deal of Shelley’s personal beliefs and the many different aspects on nature he brought out in his poetry. This blog provides a great introduction to Percy Shelley’s life by giving a complete background and history of his life in a form that is easy to read and in great detail.

The Indian Serenade

I arise from dreams of thee
In the first sweet sleep of night,

When the winds are breathing low,

And the stars are shining bright.

I arise from dreams of thee,

And a spirit in my feet

Hath led me -- who knows how?

To thy chamber window, Sweet!

 

The wandering airs they faint

On the dark, the silent stream--

And the Champak's odours

Like sweet thoughts in a dream;

The nightingale's complaint,

It dies upon her heart,

As I must on thine,

O belovèd as thou art!

 

O lift me from the grass!

I die! I faint! I fail!

Let thy love in kisses rain

On my lips and eyelids pale.

My cheek is cold and white, alas!

My heart beats loud and fast:

O press it to thine own again,

Where it will break at last!

Percy Shelley wrote this poem as one of the shortest and finest of his love poems. The poem was written in the 19th century. The first part of this poem means he is walking through the beautiful night to his love's window. He faints because he is overcome with emotions. I like this poem because of all the emotion it has to offer.

You Have My Heart

A hot summer day, with a broken heart. No one to love. My heart belongs to me, just me.

Things are now about to change.

Forget the cold broken heart I have on this warm summer day. I'll be fine. All i need is my money. My money is all I need. My money has my heart!
That is all that matters.

People say, "money can't buy happiness." I believe otherwise.
My money gave me the idea to conquer my hunger.
"Jacky, Jacky can you hear your stomach growling? spend me Jacky, spend me."
Off to Jack In The Box I went.


Alone? No. My best friend until the end, accompanied  me to spend, spend, spend.

Lets sit down, we shall have a seat. I'm so hungry I can't wait to eat.
Three boys, about our age. Being loud and staring rudely, but one boy stands out, He's truly a beauty.

Jacky Gets, what Jacky wants. 
The boy's number is what she got.

Thanks to the help of her best friend who "hooked up the digits."
Flip your hair, smile, than wait a little while.
Shoot him a text.
First date, second date, third date, Oh my this boy is great.
I want him to be mine.

Jacky gets, what Jacky wants.
A new boyfriend is what she got.

You can be the prince and I can be your princess
You can be the sweet tooth and I can be the dentist

I love his smile, I love his laugh, I could stare into his blue eyes all day.
He makes me feel safe, so comfortable.
kiss me and it's the 4th of July.
Hold me when I cry.
Your love, your love, your love Is my drug.
You're my best friend. You are all I need. You amaze me more and more each day.
I will love you unconditionally.
Unless you cheat, then it's over.

Sorry money, my heart now belongs to someone new, but thank you for buying me happiness.

Percy Shelley's Perceptions of Life on Earth

The majority of Shelley’s poetry that revealed his individual philosophy was composed in Italy. His philosophy was a combination of human power, love and reason, and faith in the ultimate ability of humanity progression. Shelley composed great literature of imagination and natural beauty given from the Earth to human.  Many considered his general actions to be abnormal, daring, and headstrong, but Shelley had a very individual perception of the human life and existence and the natural beauty the human race on Earth could create. Although Shelley questioned the Christianity religion and the thought of an All-Powerful God, he had respect for those with beliefs. He often tried to express his thoughts about giving all power to a God and the difference between natural power and a God-like figure. He was also one to strive for the perfectibility conception and it appears in his literature. While appreciating natures capability and beauty, he also saw the darker sides nature can produce such as death and destruction; natural disasters.

Mont Blanc is a perfect example of Shelley’s views of nature. This poem has a very keen examination of the natural world and provides great suggestion for what the humankind can learn from nature. Mont Blanc contains such power; Shelley also describes nature’s ability to exist without and away from the human existence. This piece of literature gives Shelley’s conclusion to how all living things, including humans, play an important part in the natural world. Mont Blanc also shows the general order of relationships with nature. He describes a trance like effect the mountain has on him with its great power and beauty. Month Blanc shows a cycle and with that cycle, Shelley describes the natural cycle of life he describes in many other pieces he writes.

Shelley’s belief in the natural world shows his great respect for the Earth and its capabilities. It shows that the humankind oversees the true beauty the Earth lays before us. He shows an overall terrific understanding for nature alone, without modifications humans make or try to give all the power to one specific God. In the majority of literature Shelley composes, he shows the natural worlds beauty and power and a natural cycle of the Earthly ways to producing and ending life in a graceful, yet powerful, manner.

Prose Poem: A Swimmer's Nightmare

Winter training is every swimmer’s nightmare.
It takes place during Winter break.

That’s supposed to be the time when everyone looks forward to the holidays, no school, and having fun with their friends and family. 

Everyone except for me and my team.

While everyone else was enjoying their time off, I was stuck at the pool, swimming my butt off.

Winter break turned into 2 long weeks of hell. 

It was a swimmer's nightmare.

Eat. Sleep. Swim. That was the daily routine for 2 very long weeks. 

I never wanted to do anything because I was always sore and tired after practice. That was not how I wanted to spend my break. I had no life.

Everytime friends would ask to hang out, I would answer with what is known as the "swimmer answer", I can't I have practice. That was the one thing every single swimmer hated saying.

It was a swimmer's nightmare.

There were 20 practices total, each 2-4 hours long, that added up to over 40 hours of swimming. I dreaded every single practice I went to. We would never know what our workouts would be like.

It was a swimmer's nightmare.

The coaches would write our workout on the white board and tell us what to do. We had turned into swimming robot. It was like everyone was programmed to do the same thing every day. That was our job. That was all everyone did, swim.

Tuesdays and Thursdays were my least favorite day of the week. Why you ask? Well, let me just tell you, those were the worst practices we could go to. Every time I went to one of the practices it was like experiencing death.

It was a swimmer's nightmare.

I have never felt so much pain in my life, until Tuesdays and Thursdays came.

Each day came a new surprise. Things were getting thrown at us from left and right.

800 for time. 6x100’s fast average. 1 mile for time, get as close to season best as you can.

When those words fly out of a coach’s mouth, the first thing that comes into mind, pain and suffering.

So much fatigue.

So much pain.

So much Suffering.

It was a swimmer's nightmare.

By the end of break, I hated swimming. I never wanted to swim ever again, but ended up swimming the next day.

As much as it tortures me, I love this sport, it is my passion. I know it will pay off in the long run, for example the training will help me get into a college that I want to go to.

Winter training.

I dreaded it so much. It's my least favorite time of the year.

It is the time when every swimmer hates swimming. 

Autumn:A Dirge

By Percy Bysshe Shelley

The warm sun is falling, the bleak wind is wailing,
The bare boughs are sighing, the pale flowers are dying,
And the Year

On the earth is her death-bed, in a shroud of leaves dead,
     Is lying.
               Come, Months, come away,
               From November to May,
               In your saddest array;
               Follow the bier
               Of the dead cold Year,

And like dim shadows watch by her sepulcher.

The chill rain is falling, the nipped worm is crawling,
The rivers are swelling, the thunder is knelling
For the Year;

The blithe swallows are flown, and the lizards each gone
     To his dwelling.
               Come, Months, come away;
               Put on white, black and gray;
               Let your light sisters play--
               Ye, follow the bier
               Of the dead cold Year,

And make her grave green with tear on tear.

This poem has an interest theme as it changes from death to life. In the beginning it talks about the darker seasons of the year in which plants die. It shows a cycle of seasons and the order being from death to life somewhat symbolizing a rebirth year after year.  I really like the rhyme scheme and the play on words when it repeats, “come, months, come away” and then it describes a different time of year. By giving the seasons personified functions it really shows why nature is sometimes called “Mother Nature.” This poem also shows Shelley’s writing style by the use of exaggerated nature and the beauty nature can bring.

                Shelley is well known to use the season autumn as a theme in his poetry because it shows beauty along with a change to death as the leaves fall off the trees and nature makes a shift to prepare for winter. Other poems that have an autumn theme include “Hymn to Intellectual Beauty” and “Ode to The West Wind.”Autumn also shows the creativity and destructive powers nature can have. Autumn is a fitting background for Shelley’s vision of political and social revolution because it can have such a drastic change on the Earth’s physical appearance. Shelley often suggests that the natural world holds a sublime power over his imagination. Nature also has a creative power over him because he is very inspired by the natural world and what nature is capable of. Shelley often finds giving nature’s power to God difficult because he believes that nature’s beauty comes from a divine source and nature is only the result of pure imagination.
            The cycle of seasons in this poem is expressed in many other of Shelley’s poetry in a different form. His overall perception of each cycle is to portray a cycle of life that occurs with all living species, plants, and land in nature. Shelley’s individual push to show the power of nature is different from other poets by the way he conveys the natural world to the reader. The power of seasons changing in this poem is Shelley’s ways of showing the overall power yet grace the natural world consists of.

Shelley's views in "Mont Blanc"

There are many different ways the Romantic poets use nature in their poetry. In Shelley's "Mont Blanc", he uses it to suggest what we can learn from nature and the mind itself. Shelley describes nature as an influential power and it stands out in intensity. He concludes that the role nature plays and the relationship between humankind and nature must have in order for an interaction to occur.
     When Shelley uses the mountain, he states his perception on the significance of the mountain, because it is a rare source of knowledge. In his eyes, the mind can be at rest and unproductive when it is aware of any truths about human existence. When we are sleeping, that is the time where our minds are free of thought and knowledge of the truth.
     This all goes back to the mountain in the poem, which has a powerful presence, and how sleep is a powerful sense. He says, “the mountain possesses the ability to unfurle the veil of life and death", in other words Shelley was allowed to see visions of sleep while he was awake, or this could have been a state of dreaming. Also, in the poem Shelley experiences an example of a relating process, which is when all reality comes to an existence. He explains the cycle of the mountain, which symbolizes the universal law of cause and effect. This law plays a major role in the poem because it determines anything a person experiences. For example, the river helps the trees grow along the banks; in order for humans to live, we need trees to grow to produce oxygen. As for the glacier on the mountain, it creates the river when the snow melts.
      All of these elements connect with each other which go back to the cause and effect law. Not only does the poem symbolize the cause and effect law, it also is an example of how thoughts come into being. Power is a mysterious force that hides from a single cause and the place where thoughts come from. When Shelley uses the river, he compares it to our imagination, where it is a place that can be viewed as an environment where people can thrive. In conclusion, Shelley states that the world of nature can influence thoughts and feelings. It can be viewed as knowledge rather than a fathomless mysticism. Also the opposite action of mankind and the universe must depend on another source for its origination, just like how thought relies on nature.

A Deeper View of Percy Shelley's Life and Poetry

(Please excuse the poetry reading (“A Lament”) in the middle of the video, it looks a little ridiculous.)

He was expelled from Oxford after writing The Necessity of Atheism and Other Essays due to the religious rules of the school who thought a natural look at the creation of the Earth and events that occur was outrageous. His first marriage was unsuccessful, although his second marriage to Marcy Wollstonecraft-Shelley was of great success. She was also an author and published many literature pieces, one of those being, the novel, Frankenstein. When Shelley was twenty-seven, he went sailing in the Gulf of Spezia and become caught in a storm, this trip was unsuccessful as his body and two others were found nine days later. Admirers laid his body to rest, along Shelley was Lord Byron. There is a legend that a pirate called Trelawny, among the admirers present, took Shelley’s heart from his body and gave it to Mary Shelley before burning his corps. It is said that his heart still remains in a jar among literature and romantic disciples.

As said to be the spiritual leader of Romantic Poets, he really leads the artistic vision by displaying nature and imagination through his writing. Shelley also shares the view that the true nature of the soul is in our divine imagination with William Blake. For Shelley, imagination is God, along with nature and there is no outstanding God that was the creator of all. During Shelley’s time, this belief of nature and imagination was not easily accepted among others and often caused a difficult life for those who had these beliefs. Shelley rejected rationality theories in pursuit of his ultimate romantic ideals. No other English poet of Shelley’s time emphasized the connection between beauty, nature, imagination and goodness like he did. Shelley believed that poetry makes people and society better; which he hoped his poetry would affect his readers in all possible ways.

Percy and his wife Mary both expressed a gratefulness of the natural world and its powers. They both shared a great hobby of composing literature and are both well-known for their work. Although Percy Shelley’s life was ended early, he had a very successful writing career along with a great success to portray the natural world and its beauty.

William Wordsworth's "The Thorn"

The members of William Wordsworth's blog (I provided the link below) have a pretty interesting and informative blog. The B7 girls, Megan Free, Alyssa Seever, and Tawny Crockatt talk about Wordsworth's use of nature, his poems and his life. When I first looked at their blog I thought it was kind of plain, and it they could use a more interesting layout. However, they did have a lot of entries, compared to some of the other blog sites, which made it better to read their blog. Besides the layout the blog entries were all interesting. I found Alyssa's post about Wordsworth's use of nature the most interesting because it talks about how he included nature in his poems. Also, she explained how the romantics viewed nature, which is very important in the Romanticism topic. The art on these girls' blog struck me the most because it gives people something else to look at besides words. This blog is important because they gave readers information about William Wordsworth that we probably didn't know, and they stayed on their topic, which can teach the reader many things. For those folks who do not know anything about Romanticism, this is a good blog to look at because they talk about who he is and some of his poems that he has wrote. Also, the entries that they have are very informative and the reader could learn a lot about Romanticism just by reading their blog. Not only does their blog teach the person about William Wordsworth, they talk about Romanticism in general and how Romantic poets use nature in their poetry. I also liked how they included a poem other than the ones we went over in class. That gave their blog some variety, and something new to read. Instead of reading the entries about the two poems we read in class, it was nice to have one about "The Prelude". This poem was in Wordsworth's first book, where he talks about finding his vital soul, and experiences relief when coming back to nature. Overall this was an interesting blog and I liked it a lot. The B7 group did a good job. 


Here is the link you need to click on!!!
http://2cool4skoool.blogspot.com/

"Love's Philosophy"

The fountains mingle with the river,

And the rivers with the ocean;

The winds of heaven mix forever

With a sweet emotion;

Nothing in the world is single;

All things by a law divine

In another's being mingle--

Why not I with thine?

See, the mountains kiss high heaven,

And the waves clasp one another;

No sister flower could be forgiven

If it disdained its brother;

And the sunlight clasps the earth,

And the moonbeams kiss the sea;--

What are all these kissings worth,

If thou kiss not me?

This poem is saying that there are small steps that lead to the big picture, for example the fountains, the river, and the ocean, they all connect in some way with some sort of emotion. The small entities, the fountains and rivers, all come together with the big whole,the ocean. Every little thing you do can make a big impact on other people, not just yourself. 

When Shelley says "nothing in the world is single", everything is not alone. In other words, the things in the world are surrounded by things in god's power, or the divine things. Then at the end he asks "In another's being mingle-- Why not I with thine?", he wants to know where his love is if nothing in the world is single and everything is mingling with each other. 

The last stanza talks about how nature can be a symbol of love. He describes the things that can happen in a relationship such as, forgiveness, kissing, and clasping. At the end of the stanza he asks "what are these kissings worth, if thou kiss not me". He is trying to say that if the kisses of nature mean something special, then why doesn't get kissed. This goes back to the first stanza where he asks where his loved one was. He is also describing love's philosophy by using nature's love. Nature is used symbolize human characteristics, not just love. So when he talks about "the moonbeams kiss the sea" and "the winds of heaven mix forever", he is using them to symbolize the characteristics of a human relationship.

A Biography of Percy Shelley

For those who do not want to read a long biography on Percy Bysshe Shelley, I summed up a biography for your convenience. 

Percy Bysshe Shelley, the oldest of 7, was born on August 4, 1792. He enrolled at Oxford University in 1810, but was expelled along with his friend, Thomas Jefferson Hogg, a few months later. After getting expelled, Shelley's caring father visited him and insisted that Shelley be-friend Hogg and change his beliefs in free love, atheism, vegetarianism, and political radicalism. Percy was definitely not happy, so he refused to change and befriend Mr. Hogg. To top of his rebellious actions, Shelley decided to elope with, 16 year-old, Harriet Westbrook. 

During his vacation in Ireland, Shelley's poem "Queen Mab" came out in 1813. He then met his future father in-law and hero, William Godwin. This is the place where Shelley ditched his first wife and met the love of his life, Mary Godwin, who was a radical and an idealist just like himself. Later on Mary wrote two novels that are still well known today, Frankenstein and The Last Man. In 1814, Percy and Mary eloped in Switzerland and became Mr. and Mrs. Shelley. 

Mary already had a daughter, Ianthe, but she gave birth to another a son named Charles, on November 30, 1814. After a few months of living together Mary had once again on February 22, 1815, gave birth to another daughter, who had only lived for a few days. The couple had gotten busy again, and Mary gave birth to her last son, William, in January 1816. 

Harriet was pregnant by another man, so she drowned herself a couple months after Mary's half-sister committed suicide in October. In December, Percy married Mary, but they lost the custody of their children to Harriet's family. They Shelley couple had left England and moved to Italy in 1818. There, their new born daughter, Clara, and their son William died. On the bright side, Mary gave birth to another son, Percy Florence. 

After meeting up with a couple friends, including Lord Byron, Shelley sailed a yacht back home. During the journey, Shelley drowned at sea due to a fierce storm. Mary Shelley continued his career by editing his poems, which advanced Shelley's fame after his death.