Stanzas Written in Dejection near Naples - Percy Bysshe Shelley
A Melancholic Reverie by the Italian Seashore
I
The sun is warm, the sky is clear,
The waves are dancing fast and bright,
Blue isles and snowy mountains wear
The purple noon’s transparent light:
Around an unexpanded bud
My spirit is swooning in the scent
Drawn from the wandering sun-shower sent;
And odours of all flowers that blow,
And waters warm of gales that glow,
And heaven’s infinite repose.
II
O that this joy could last for ever,
That time and Fate would heed no call,
That all life’s ills might fade away,
Submerged in this ephemeral thrall.
Yet sorrow’s shade, unseen but sure,
Still dogs the steps of such delight;
And though the noontide sky be bright,
Soft breezes and calm waves endure
Only an hour—then storm or night
Will find our hearts once more unsure.
III
I see the Deep’s untrampled floor
With green and purple seaweeds strown;
I see the waves upon the shore,
Like light dissolved in star-showers thrown;
I sit upon the sands alone—
The lightning of the noon-tide ocean
Is flashing round me, and a tone
Arises from its measured motion,
How sweet! did any heart now share in my emotion.
IV
Alas! I have nor hope nor health,
Nor peace within nor calm around,
Nor that content, surpassing wealth,
The sage in meditation found,
And walked with inward glory crowned—
Nor fame, nor power, nor love, nor leisure;
Others I see whom these surround—
Smiling they live, and call life pleasure;
To me that cup has been dealt in another measure.
V
Yet now despair itself is mild,
Even as the winds and waters are;
I could lie down like a tired child,
And weep away the life of care
Which I have borne and yet must bear,
Till death like sleep might steal on me,
And I might feel in the warm air
My cheek grow cold, and hear the sea
Breathe o’er my dying brain its last monotony.
VI
Some might lament that I were cold,
As I, when this sweet day is gone,
Which my lost heart, too soon grown old,
Insults with this untimely moan;
They might lament—for I am one
Whom men love not,—and yet regret;
Unlike this day, which, when the sun
Shall on its stainless glory set,
Will linger, though enjoyed, like joy in memory yet.
Composed in December 1818 and published in 1819, “Stanzas Written in Dejection near Naples” captures Percy Bysshe Shelley’s wistful reflections as he gazed out at the bright Mediterranean coast. Though the poem opens by celebrating the clear sky, dancing waves, and scented breezes, an undercurrent of melancholy runs through Shelley’s lines. Despite the external beauty, the speaker admits to feeling isolated and estranged—reflecting on his lack of health, fame, love, and hope.
The poem showcases the Romantic trope of nature’s ability to both comfort and highlight personal sorrow. The ocean’s grandeur and the shimmering light on the water contrast sharply with the poet’s inner darkness. Shelley expresses the painful awareness that these ethereal surroundings cannot fully quell his emotional burdens. Even so, he maintains a poetic fascination with how the natural world seamlessly moves through cycles of calm and chaos—an echo of his inner turmoil.
Notably, in this meditation on “dejection,” Shelley conveys weariness and an openness to a peaceful release in sleep or death. Yet the poem does not fully surrender to despair; in fact, the awareness of nature’s beauty underscores a yearning for relief and connection. The final stanza laments both the poet’s sense of being unloved and the transitory nature of such a perfect day. Even so, this temporary enjoyment is carved into memory, reminding us that fleeting moments of joy can endure symbolically, even amid overarching sadness.
The poem thus occupies a delicate space between natural splendor and personal despair—an enduring Romantic expression of how the outer world stirs conflicting responses in the sensitive soul. Today, “Stanzas Written in Dejection near Naples” resonates with anyone who has felt both solace and loneliness while standing before the majesty of the sea.
Key points
• Contrasts the coastal beauty of Naples with Shelley’s introspective melancholy.
• Expresses Romantic ideals: intense personal emotion framed by nature’s grandeur.
• Shows how external splendor cannot entirely alleviate internal sorrow.
• Contemplates the idea of escape—peaceful release from life’s cares—while underscoring the memory of fleeting joy.