Song From the Wandering Jew

Percy Bysshe ShelleySad

See yon opening flower Spreads its fragrance to the blast; It fades within an hour, Its decay is pale--is fast. Paler is yon maiden; Faster is her heart's decay; Deep with sorrow laden, She sinks in death away.

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Mood:: Sad
Topics:: transience, death, sorrow, flower, mortality

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Summary

A flower opens, spreads its scent to the wind, and withers within an hour—pale and sudden. The speaker immediately compares it to a young woman: she is even paler, her heart failing more swiftly. She’s “deep with sorrow laden,” but we’re not told what sorrow.

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Song From the Wandering Jew

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