Adonais, Stanza XXVII
Adonais, Stanza XXVII
Percy Bysshe Shelley
'O gentle child, beautiful as thou wert,
Why didst thou leave the trodden paths of men
Too soon, and with weak hands though mighty heart
Dare the unpastured dragon in his den?
Defenceless as thou wert, oh where was then
Wisdom the mirrored shield, or scorn the spear?--
Or, hadst thou waited the full cycle when
Thy spirit should have filled its crescent sphere,
The monsters of life's waste had fled from thee like deer.
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Complete stanza text. Source edition: Project Gutenberg #10119.
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