"'As the moon's soft splendor
O'er the faint, cold starlight of heaven
Is thrown;'
and so on
"'Of some world far from ours,
Where moonlight and music and feeling
Are one.'
"How beautiful this song would sound if set to music by Mrs. Bell and chanted by her in the twilight."
Later he enclosed the song, which is as follows, and I venture to reprint it because it is seldom found among Shelley's poems:—
AN ARIETTE FOR MUSIC.
To a lady singing to her accompaniment on the guitar.
As the moon's soft splendor
O'er the faint, cold starlight of heaven
Is thrown,
So thy voice most tender
To the strings without soul has given.
Its own.
The stars will awaken,
Though the moon sleep a full hour later
To-night;
No leaf will be shaken,
Whilst the dews of thy melody scatter
Delight.
Though the sound overpowers,
Sing again, with thy sweet voice revealing
A tone
Of some world far from ours,
Where music and moonlight and feeling
Are one.