Down by the river of Adona her soft voice is heard,
And thus her gentle lamentation falls like morning dew:—
“O life of this our spring! why fades the lotus of the water?
Why fade these children of the spring, born but to smile and fall?
Ah! Thel is like a watery bow, and like a parting cloud;
Like a reflection in a glass; like shadows in the water;
Like dreams of infants, like a smile upon an infant’s face;
Like the dove’s voice; like transient day; like music in the air.”
Shelley uses this metre lyrically in two of his most beautiful poems, taking the liberty of omitting the minor even stresses, and the light syllables that precede them, whenever it suits his purpose.
Awáy! The móor is dárk beneath the moón.