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Lyric Poem · Peace

Sonnet to Byron

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

1If I esteemed you less, Envy would kill

2Pleasure, and leave to Wonder and Despair

3The ministration of the thoughts that fill

4The mind which, like a worm whose life may share

5A portion of the unapproachable,

6Marks your creations rise as fast and fair

7As perfect worlds at the Creator's will.

8But such is my regard that nor your power

9To soar above the heights where others ,

10Nor fame, that shadow of the unborn hour

11Cast from the envious future on the time,

12Move one regret for his unhonoured name

13Who dares these words: — the worm beneath the sod

14May lift itself in homage of the God.

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Quick facts

Poem
Sonnet to Byron
Poet
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Length
14 lines
Form
Lyric Poem
Themes
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
14 lines · 2 septets
Line length
Mostly 10-syllable lines (pentameter length).
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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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
PoetryDBSonnet to Byron 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 c677fff570d0e43c
Editorial handling
Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.
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