Lyric Poem · Love

Love's Philosophy

by Percy Bysshe Shelley · 1819

Reading room

1The fountains mingle with the river

2And the rivers with the ocean,

3The winds of heaven mix for ever

4With a sweet emotion;

5Nothing in the world is single;

6All things by a law divine

7In one spirit meet and mingle.

8Why not I with thine?—

9See the mountains kiss high heaven

10And the waves clasp one another;

11No sister-flower would be forgiven

12If it disdained its brother;

13And the sunlight clasps the earth

14And the moonbeams kiss the sea:

15What is all this sweet work worth

16If thou kiss not me?

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“Love's Philosophy” by Percy Bysshe Shelley — quilloak.com/poems/loves-philosophy

Quick facts

Poem: Love's Philosophy
Poet: Percy Bysshe Shelley
Published: 1819
Length: 16 lines
Form: Lyric Poem, Rhyming Poems
Themes: Love, Funny, Short

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Shape: 16 lines · 2 octaves

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A traceable edition

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Author record: Percy Bysshe Shelley1792–1822
Source record: QuillOak curated editionLove's Philosophy (1819) by percy-bysshe-shelley
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: 1819
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 6f0bee9b93457838…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Rhyming Poems Love Funny Short

Love's Philosophy

Quick facts

How this poem works

A traceable edition

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