Lyric Poem · Love

Lines: 'We Meet Not As We Parted'

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

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1We meet not as we parted,

2We feel more than all may see;

3My bosom is heavy-hearted,

4And thine full of doubt for me: —

5One moment has bound the free.

6That moment is gone for ever,

7Like lightning that flashed and died —

8Like a snowflake upon the river —

9Like a sunbeam upon the tide,

10Which the dark shadows hide.

11That moment from time was singled

12As the first of a life of pain;

13The cup of its joy was mingled

14 — Delusion too sweet though vain!

15Too sweet to be mine again.

16Sweet lips, could my heart have hidden

17That its life was crushed by you,

18Ye would not have then forbidden

19The death which a heart so true

20Sought in your briny dew.

21...

22...

23...

24Methinks too little cost

25For a moment so found, so lost!

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“Lines: 'We Meet Not As We Parted'” by Percy Bysshe Shelley — quilloak.com/poems/lines-we-meet-not-as-we-parted

Quick facts

Poem: Lines: 'We Meet Not As We Parted'
Poet: Percy Bysshe Shelley
Length: 25 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Love, Death & Loss, Nature

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Shape: 25 lines · 5 quintains

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Author record: Percy Bysshe Shelley1792–1822
Source record: PoetryDBLines: 'We Meet Not As We Parted' by percy-bysshe-shelley, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 ad5d57a158e67f35…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Love Death & Loss Nature

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