Love’s Philosophy
Shelley’s playful persuasion argues that nature itself mingles and kisses — so should lovers, by a gentle law divine.
To a Skylark
Shelley’s skylark, pure song in flight, teaches a difficult joy — art that consoles without denying human lack.
Mont Blanc (Selected Excerpts)
In “Mont Blanc,” Shelley tests the sublime as a pact between mind and mountain — perception making grandeur legible.
Ozymandias
Shelley’s “Ozymandias” unveils the ruins of empire and the irony of power’s impermanence beneath desert sands.
Ode to the West Wind (Selected Excerpts)
Shelley’s ode harnesses a revolutionary wind — destroyer and preserver — to scatter verse like sparks toward renewal.
Manfred (Selected Excerpts)
Byron’s alpine closet drama pits solitary will against fate — responsibility without consolation, spectacle without cure.
The Prisoner of Chillon (Selected Excerpts)
A lyric tale of endurance, “The Prisoner of Chillon” finds inner liberty shadowed by grief — the world as a wider cell.
Prometheus
Byron’s “Prometheus” is a secular hymn to endurance — rebellion transfigured into human strengthening and proud dignity.
Stanzas to Augusta (Selected Excerpts)
A lyric of loyal solace, “Stanzas to Augusta” turns exile into principle and finds one witness against the world.
Fare Thee Well
A public farewell with private ache, “Fare Thee Well” turns repetition into injured grace during Byron’s marital collapse.
She Walks in Beauty
Byron’s classic lyric celebrates beauty as harmony — a poised balance of dark and bright, surface and soul.
When We Two Parted
A restrained lyric of secrecy and betrayal, “When We Two Parted” turns grief into judgment with tolling simplicity.