Lyric Poem · Nature
Song of Proserpine While Gathering Flowers on the Plain of Enna
Sacred Goddess, Mother Earth,
Thou from whose immortal bosom
Gods, and men, and beasts have birth,
Leaf and blade, and bud and blossom,
Breathe thine influence most divine
On thine own child, Proserpine.
If with mists of evening dew
Thou dost nourish these young flowers
Till they grow, in scent and hue,
Fairest children of the Hours,
Breathe thine influence most divine
On thine own child, Proserpine.
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“Song of Proserpine While Gathering Flowers on the Plain of Enna” by Percy Bysshe Shelley — quilloak.com/poems/song-of-proserpine-while-gathering-flowers-on-the-plain-of-enna
Quick facts
- Poem
- Song of Proserpine While Gathering Flowers on the Plain of Enna
- Poet
- Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Length
- 12 lines
- Form
- Lyric Poem
- Themes
- Nature, Childhood, Peace
Craft notes
How this poem works
Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.
- Shape
- 12 lines · 2 sestets
- Line length
- Lines run 7-8 syllables (median 8), consistent with tetrameter. No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.
- Refrains
- “Breathe thine influence most divine”“On thine own child, Proserpine.”Repeated lines act as the poem's hinge or drumbeat.
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Text, source & rights
A traceable edition
Full-text display is based on the committed source record and a United States term-expiry review.
- Author record
- Percy Bysshe Shelley1792–1822
- Source record
- PoetryDBSong of Proserpine While Gathering Flowers on the Plain of Enna 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 b52ae9829fd346da…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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