Percy Bysshe Shelley: Fragment: 'Alas! This Is Not What I Thought Life Was'
Updated May 6, 2020 |
Infoplease Staff
Fragment: 'Alas! This Is Not What I Thought Life Was'
Published by Mrs. Shelley, "Poetical Works", 1839, 1st edition. This fragment is joined by Forman with that immediately preceding.
Alas! this is not what I thought life was.
I knew that there were crimes and evil men,
Misery and hate; nor did I hope to pass
Untouched by suffering, through the rugged glen.
In mine own heart I saw as in a glass
The hearts of others ... And when
I went among my kind, with triple brass
Of calm endurance my weak breast I armed,
To bear scorn, fear, and hate, a woful mass!
I knew that there were crimes and evil men,
Misery and hate; nor did I hope to pass
Untouched by suffering, through the rugged glen.
In mine own heart I saw as in a glass
The hearts of others ... And when
I went among my kind, with triple brass
Of calm endurance my weak breast I armed,
To bear scorn, fear, and hate, a woful mass!
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