The Witch Of Atlas Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABABABCC DCDCDCEE FGFGFGDD CCHCHCII JKJLJKMM NONPNPPP QRRRRRDD RMRMRMCC LPLPLPCC SDSDSDAA NPNPNPPP PPPPPPDD TSTSTTUV RLRLRLCC PDPDPDRR SPSPSPDD PWPWPWPP DXDXDXYV TPTPTPCC CFCFCFPP ZFZFA2FCC DDDP

Before those cruel twins whom at one birthA
Incestuous Change bore to her father TimeB
Error and Truth had hunted from the earthA
All those bright natures which adorned its primeB
And left us nothing to believe in worthA
The pains of putting into learn d rhymeB
A Lady Witch there lived on Atlas mountainC
Within a cavern by a secret fountainC
-
Her mother was one of the AtlantidesD
The all beholding Sun had ne'er beholdenC
In his wide voyage o'er continents and seasD
So fair a creature as she lay enfoldenC
In the warm shadow of her lovelinessD
He kissed her with his beams and made all goldenC
The chamber of gray rock in which she layE
She in that dream of joy dissolved awayE
-
'Tis said she first was changed into a vaporF
And then into a cloud such clouds as flitG
Like splendor winged moths about a taperF
Round the red west when the Sun dies in itG
And then into a meteor such as caperF
On hill tops when the Moon is in a fitG
Then into one of those mysterious starsD
Which hide themselves between the Earth and MarsD
-
Ten times the Mother of the Months had benC
Her bow beside the folding star and biddenC
With that bright sign the billows to indentH
The sea deserted sand like children chiddenC
At her command they ever came and wentH
Since in that cave a dewy splendor hiddenC
Took shape and motion With the living formI
Of this embodied Power the cave grew warmI
-
A lovely Lady garmented in lightJ
From her own beauty deep her eyes as areK
Two openings of unfathomable nightJ
Seen through a temple's cloven roof her hairL
Dark the dim brain whirls dizzy with delightJ
Picturing her form Her soft smiles shone afarK
And her low voice was heard like love and drewM
All living things towards this wonder newM
-
And first the spotted cameleopard cameN
And then the wise and fearless elephantO
Then the sly serpent in the golden flameN
Of his own volumes intervolved All gauntP
And sanguine beasts her gentle looks made tameN
They drank before her at her sacred fountP
And every beast of beating heart grew boldP
Such gentleness and power even to beholdP
-
The brinded lioness led forth her youngQ
That she might teach them how they should foregoR
Their inborn thirst of death the pard unstrungR
His sinews at her feet and sought to knowR
With looks whose motions spoke without a tongueR
How he might be as gentle as the doeR
The magic circle of her voice and eyesD
All savage natures did imparadiseD
-
And old Silenus shaking a green stickR
Of lilies and the Wood gods in a crewM
Came blithe as in the olive copses thickR
Cicade are drunk with the noonday dewM
And Dryope and Faunus followed quickR
Teazing the God to sing them something newM
Till in this cave they found the Lady loneC
Sitting upon a seat of emerald stoneC
-
And universal Pan 'tis said was thereL
And though none saw him through the adamantP
Of the deep mountains through the trackless airL
And through those living spirits like a wantP
He passed out of his everlasting lairL
Where the quick heart of the great world doth pantP
And felt that wondrous Lady all aloneC
And she felt him upon her emerald throneC
-
And every Nymph of stream and spreading treeS
And every Shepherdess of Ocean's flocksD
Who drives her white waves over the green seaS
And Ocean with the brine on his grey locksD
And quaint Priapus with his companyS
All came much wondering how the enwombed rocksD
Could have brought forth so beautiful a birthA
Her love subdued their wonder and their mirthA
-
The herdsmen and the mountain maidens cameN
And the rude kings of pastoral GaramantP
Their spirits shook within them as a flameN
Stirred by the air under a cavern gauntP
Pygmies and Polyphemes by many a nameN
Centaurs and Satyrs and such shapes as hauntP
Wet clefts and lumps neither alive nor deadP
Dog headed bosom eyed and bird footedP
-
For she was beautiful Her beauty madeP
The bright world dim and everything besideP
Seemed like the fleeting image of a shadeP
No thought of living spirit could abideP
Which to her looks had ever been betrayedP
On any object in the world so wideP
On any hope within the circling skiesD
But on her form and in her inmost eyesD
-
Which when the Lady knew she took her spindleT
And twined three threads of fleecy mist and threeS
Long lines of light such as the dawn may kindleT
The clouds and waves and mountains with and sheS
As many starbeams ere their lamps could dwindleT
In the belated moon wound skilfullyT
And with these threads a subtle veil she woveU
A shadow for the splendour of her loveV
-
The deep recesses of her odorous dwellingR
Were stored with magic treasures sounds of airL
Which had the power all spirits of compellingR
Folded in cells of crystal silence thereL
Such as we hear in youth and think the feelingR
will never die yet ere we are awareL
The feeling and the sound are fled and goneC
And the regret they leave remains aloneC
-
And there lay Visions swift and sweet and quaintP
Each in its thin sheath like a chrysalisD
Some eager to burst forth some weak and faintP
With the soft burden of intensest blissD
It is their work to bear to many a saintP
Whose heart adores the shrine which holiest isD
Even Love's and others white green grey and blackR
And of all shapes and each was at her beckR
-
And odours in a kind of aviaryS
Of ever blooming Eden trees she keptP
Clipped in a floating net a love sick FairyS
Had woven from dew beams while the moon yet sleptP
As bats at the wired window of a dairyS
They beat their vans and each was an adeptP
When loosed and missioned making wings of windsD
To stir sweet thoughts or sad in destined mindsD
-
And liquors clear and sweet whose healthful mightP
Could medicine the sick soul to happy sleepW
And change eternal death into a nightP
Of glorious dreams or if eyes needs must weepW
Could make their tears all wonder and delightP
She in her crystal phials did closely keepW
If men could drink of those clear phials 'tis saidP
The living were not envied of the deadP
-
Her cave was stored with scrolls of strange deviceD
The works of some Saturnian ArchimageX
Which taught the expiations at whose priceD
Men from the Gods might win that happy ageX
Too lightly lost redeeming native viceD
And which might quench the earth consuming rageX
Of gold and blood till men should live and moveY
Harmonious as the sacred stars aboveV
-
And how all things that seem untameableT
Not to be checked and not to be confinedP
Obey the spells of Wisdom's wizard skillT
Time earth and fire the ocean and the windP
And all their shapes and man's imperial willT
And other scrolls whose writings did unbindP
The inmost lore of love let the profaneC
Tremble to ask what secrets they containC
-
And wondrous works of substances unknownC
To which the enchantment of her Father's powerF
Had changed those ragged blocks of savage stoneC
Were heaped in the recesses of her bowerF
Carved lamps and chalices and phials which shoneC
In their own golden beams each like a flowerF
Out of whose depth a firefly shakes his lightP
Under a cypress in a starless nightP
-
At first she lived alone in this wild homeZ
And her own thoughts were each a ministerF
Clothing themselves or with the ocean foamZ
Or with the wind or with the speed of fireF
To work whatever purposes might comeA2
Into her mind such power her mighty SireF
Had girt them with whether to fly or runC
Through all the regions which he shines uponC
-
The Ocean nymphs and HamadryadesD
Oreads and Naiads with long weedy locksD
Offered to do her bidding through the seasD
UndeP

Percy Bysshe Shelley



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