The Complete Poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley

Poems from St. Irvyne; or, The Rosicrucian: A Romance

Title page of St. Irvyne; or, The Rosicrucian (1811). With kind permission of The Huntington Library. This page intentionally left blank POEMS FROM St. Irvyne; or, The Rosicrucian: A Romance The six poems below appeared scattered through PBS’s second Gothic romance (hereafter St.Irv), which was printed in December 1810 by Samuel Gosnell and published with the date 1811 by John Joseph Stockdale in London. In 1822, the book was reissued by Stockdale with a new title page and label dated 1822 (H. B. Forman, The Shelley Library [1886], 14–15). For Commentary, including the context of each poem within PBS’s Gothic romance in prose and the relationships of the texts of St.Irv with PBS’s other versions of some of them, see pages 261–79; for the Historical Collations of these texts, see pages 387–401. 107 This page intentionally left blank “’T was dead of the night, when I sat in my dwelling” ’T was dead of the night, when I sat in my dwelling; One glimmering lamp was expiring and low; Around, the dark tide of the tempest was swelling, Along the wild mountains night-ravens were yelling, They bodingly presag’d destruction and woe. 5 ’T was then that I started! the wild storm was howling, Nought was seen, save the lightning, which danc’d in the sky; Above me, the crash of the thunder was rolling, And low, chilling murmurs, the blast wafted by. My heart sank within me unheeded the war 10 Of the battling clouds, on the mountain-tops, broke; Unheeded the thunder-peal crash’d in mine ear This heart, hard as iron, is stranger to fear; But conscience in low, noiseless whispering spoke. ’T was then that her form on the whirlwind upholding, 15 The ghost of the murder’d Victoria strode; “’T was dead of the night” 109 Text collated with 1811 (St.Irv) and 1810 (V&C). Unlike the other poems in 1811, opening and closing quotation marks surround this poem. These are a feature of the novel, not the poem, and are omitted from our Text. Title. none ] FRAGMENT, or the triumph of conscience. 1810 1 ’T was ] ’Twas 1810 night, ] night 1810 sat ] sate 1810 dwelling; ] dwelling, 1810 2 low; ] low, 1810 3 Around, ] Around 1810 4 yelling, ] yelling, 1810 5 presag’d ] presaged 1810 woe. ] woe! 1810 6 ’T was ] ’Twas 1810 started! the ] started, the 1810 7 lightning, which danc’d in the sky; ] lightning that danced on the sky, 1810 8 me, ] me 1810 9 murmurs, ] murmurs 1810 by. ] by. 1810 10 me unheeded ] me, unheeded 1810 war ] jar 1810 11 clouds, ] clouds 1810 mountain-tops, ] mountain tops 1810 broke; ] broke, 1810 12 crash’d ] crashed 1810 ear ] ear, 1810 13 heart, ] heart 1810 iron, ] iron 1810 is ] was 1810 fear; ] fear, 1810 14 low, ] low 1810 15 ’T was ] ’Twas 1810 upholding, ] uprearing, 1810 16 The ghost ] The dark ghost 1810 murder’d ] murdered 1810 strode; ] strode, 1810 In her right hand, a shadowy shroud she was holding, She swiftly advanc’d to my lonesome abode. I wildly then call’d on the tempest to bear me “Ghosts of the dead! have I not heard your yelling” Ghosts of the dead! have I not heard your yelling Rise on the night-rolling breath of the blast, When o’er the dark ether the tempest is swelling, And on eddying whirlwind the thunder-peal past? For oft have I stood on the dark height of Jura, 5 Which frowns on the valley that opens beneath; Oft have I brav’d the chill night-tempest’s fury, Whilst around me, I thought, echo’d murmurs of death. And now, whilst the winds of the mountain are howling, O father! thy voice seems to strike on mine ear; 10 In air whilst the tide of the night-storm is rolling, It breaks on the pause of the elements’ jar. On the wing of the whirlwind which roars o’er the mountain Perhaps rides the ghost of my sire who is dead; On the mist of the tempest which hangs o’er the fountain, 15 Whilst a wreath of dark vapour encircles his head. 110 St. Irvyne 17 In her ] Her 1810 hand, ] hand 1810 shadowy . . . holding, ] blood reeking dagger was bearing, 1810 18 advanc’d ] advanced 1810 abode. ] abode. 1810 19...