Lyric Poem · Nature
The Isle
1There was a little lawny islet
2By anemone and violet,
3Like mosaic, paven:
4And its roof was flowers and leaves
5Which the summer's breath enweaves,
6Where nor sun nor showers nor breeze
7Pierce the pines and tallest trees,
8Each a gem engraven; —
9Girt by many an azure wave
10With which the clouds and mountains pave
11A lake's blue chasm.
Full-text availability follows the United States display decision recorded below; status can differ elsewhere.
“The Isle” by Percy Bysshe Shelley — quilloak.com/poems/the-isle
Quick facts
- Poem
- The Isle
- Poet
- Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Length
- 11 lines
- Form
- Lyric Poem
- Themes
- Nature, Summer
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
- 11 lines · one 11-line stanza
- Line length
- Lines run 6-8 syllables (median 8), consistent with tetrameter. No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.
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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
- PoetryDBThe Isle 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 54f83df03c19bf79…
- Editorial handling
- Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.