Friday, June 24, 2022

THE CLOUD

 The Cloud


I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers,

From the seas and the streams;

I bear light shade for the leaves when laid

In their noonday dreams.

From my wings are shaken the dews that waken

The sweet buds every one,

When rocked to rest on their mother's breast,

As she dances about the sun.

I wield the flail of the lashing hail,

And whiten the green plains under,

And then again I dissolve it in rain,

And laugh as I pass in thunder.


I sift the snow on the mountains below,

And their great pines groan aghast;

And all the night 'tis my pillow white,

While I sleep in the arms of the blast.

Sublime on the towers of my skiey bowers,

Lightning, my pilot, sits;

In a cavern under is fettered the thunder,

It struggles and howls at fits;

Over earth and ocean, with gentle motion,

This pilot is guiding me,

Lured by the love of the genii that move

In the depths of the purple sea;

Over the rills, and the crags, and the hills,

Over the lakes and the plains,

Wherever he dream, under mountain or stream,

The Spirit he loves remains;

And I all the while bask in Heaven's blue smile,

Whilst he is dissolving in rains.

The sanguine Sunrise, with his meteor eyes,

And his burning plumes outspread,

Leaps on the back of my sailing rack,

When the morning star shines dead;

As on the jag of a mountain crag,

Which an earthquake rocks and swings,

An eagle alit one moment may sit

In the light of its golden wings.

And when Sunset may breathe, from the lit sea

 beneath,

Its ardors of rest and of love,

And the crimson pall of eve may fall

From the depth of Heaven above,

With wings folded I rest, on mine aery nest,

As still as a brooding dove.

That orbed maiden with white fire laden,

Whom mortals call the Moon,

Glides glimmering o'er my fleece-like floor,

By the midnight breezes strewn;

And wherever the beat of her unseen feet,

Which only the angels hear,

May have broken the woof of my tent's thin roof,

The stars peep behind her and peer;

And I laugh to see them whirl and flee,

Like a swarm of golden bees,

When I widen the rent in my wind-built tent,

Till the calm rivers, lakes, and seas,

Like strips of the sky fallen through me on high,

Are each paved with the moon and these.

I bind the Sun's throne with a burning zone,

And the Moon's with a girdle of pearl;

The volcanoes are dim, and the stars reel and swim

When the whirlwinds my banner unfurl.

From cape to cape, with a bridge-like shape,

Over a torrent sea,

Sunbeam-proof, I hang like a roof,--

The mountains its columns be.

The triumphal arch through which I march

With hurricane, fire, and snow,

When the Powers of the air are chained to my chair,

Is the million-colored bow;

The sphere-fire above its soft colors wove,

While the moist Earth was laughing below.

I am the daughter of Earth and Water,

And the nursling of the Sky;

I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores;

I change, but I cannot die.

For after the rain when with never a stain

The pavilion of Heaven is bare,

And the winds and sunbeams with their convex

 gleams

Build up the blue dome of air,

I silently laugh at my own cenotaph,

And out of the caverns of rain,

Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the

 tomb,

I arise and unbuild it again.

~Percy Bysshe Shelley~







This poem is a little longer than I usually share but I enjoyed it very much and I hope you will too. 

Have a great day and weekend!




26 comments:

  1. It is wonderful and beautful. I enjoyed it very much, and now am more in awe of clouds than ever!

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    1. I love clouds too Ginny, and I am happy you enjoyed these :)

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  2. That is lovely - and not one I know. Thank you.

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    1. That's great, happy to introduce you to this poem Sue :) Thank you :)

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  3. It's beautiful poem. I love that parting shot.

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  4. Replies
    1. Fico feliz que tenha gostado :) Obrigado! Um abraço e votos de continuação de bom fim de semana.

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  5. Beautiful poem and wonderful photos.
    I love watching the clouds in the sky.

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    1. Thank you Maria :) I enjoy the clouds also :)

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  6. Wonderful poems and I loved all the different pictures of clouds.

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    1. Clouds are always fun to observe and see what I can find in those shapes. Thank you Ann :)

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  7. Love the pome and the cloud/sky photos. Take care, have a great day!

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    1. Thank you Eileen, so glad and you take care and have a great day also :)

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  8. You find the best poems for your pictures.

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    1. That's so nice of you to say Linda :) Thank you!

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  9. It is a lovely poem! I enjoyed it! The skies are lovely to see.
    (ツ) from Cottage Country , ON, Canada!

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    1. I'm happy you enjoyed this Jenn, thank you :)

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  10. poems like this are written when they view skies like what you show here. seeing with the heart and soul

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  11. such a beautiful poem, i enjoyed it!! the images were gorgeous, i love clouds!!

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    1. Happy you enjoyed Debbie, thank you. I have been a cloud watcher my whole life :)

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  12. Thanks for the place of peace and restoration

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    1. You are so very welcome Cloudia, thank you :)

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