Lyric Poem · Peace

Song. Translated From the Italian

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Reading room

1Oh! what is the gain of restless care,

2And what is ambitious treasure?

3And what are the joys that the modish share,

4In their sickly haunts of pleasure?

5My husband's repast with delight I spread,

6What though 'tis but rustic fare,

7May each guardian angel protect his shed,

8May contentment and quiet be there.

9And may I support my husband's years,

10May I soothe his dying pain,

11And then may I dry my fast falling tears,

12And meet him in Heaven again.

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“Song. Translated From the Italian” by Percy Bysshe Shelley — quilloak.com/poems/song-translated-from-the-italian

Quick facts

Poem: Song. Translated From the Italian
Poet: Percy Bysshe Shelley
Length: 12 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Peace, Death & Loss, Sad

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 · 3 quatrains
End rhyme: ABAB in 67% of the stanzas — alternate rhyme. The remaining stanzas vary, often through slant rhyme.
Line length: Lines run 7-10 syllables (median 9). No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.

The poem’s silhouette — approximate syllables per line, measured from the text above. Even bars mean a measured line; ragged bars mean the poem sets its own widths.

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Author record: Percy Bysshe Shelley1792–1822
Source record: PoetryDBSong. Translated From the Italian 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 b2931f7eb0d2ff6c…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Peace Death & Loss Sad

Song. Translated From the Italian

Quick facts

How this poem works

A traceable edition

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