Lyric Poem · Nature

The Same

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Reading room

1(As revised by Mr. C.D. Locock.)

2Melodious Arethusa, o'er my verse

3Shed thou once more the spirit of thy stream:

4(Two lines missing.)

5Who denies verse to Gallus? So, when thou

6Glidest beneath the green and purple gleam

7Of Syracusan waters, mayest thou flow

8Unmingled with the bitter Dorian dew!

9Begin, and whilst the goats are browsing now

10The soft leaves, in our song let us pursue

11The melancholy loves of Gallus. List!

12We sing not to the deaf: the wild woods knew

13His sufferings, and their echoes answer...

14Young Naiades, in what far woodlands wild

15Wandered ye, when unworthy love possessed

16Our Gallus? Nor where Pindus is up-piled,

17Nor where Parnassus' sacred mount, nor where

18Aonian Aganippe spreads its...

19(Three lines missing.)

20The laurels and the myrtle-copses dim,

21The pine-encircled mountain, Maenalus,

22The cold crags of Lycaeus weep for him.

23(Several lines missing.)

24'What madness is this, Gallus? thy heart's care,

25Lycoris, mid rude camps and Alpine snow,

26With willing step pursues another there.'

27(Some lines missing.)

28And Sylvan, crowned with rustic coronals,

29Came shaking in his speed the budding wands

30And heavy lilies which he bore: we knew

31Pan the Arcadian with....

32...and said,

33'Wilt thou not ever cease? Love cares not.

34The meadows with fresh streams, the bees with thyme,

35The goats with the green leaves of budding spring

36Are saturated not — nor Love with tears.'

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“The Same” by Percy Bysshe Shelley — quilloak.com/poems/the-same

Quick facts

Poem: The Same
Poet: Percy Bysshe Shelley
Length: 36 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Nature, Love, Sad

Craft notes

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Shape: 36 lines · 10 stanzas of 1–14 lines

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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 Same 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 1fc52ffa439f3328…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Nature Love Sad

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