Lyric Poem · Sad

To Wordsworth

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

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1Poet of Nature, thou hast wept to know

2That things depart which never may return:

3Childhood and youth, friendship and love's first glow,

4Have fled like sweet dreams, leaving thee to mourn.

5These common woes I feel. One loss is mine

6Which thou too feel'st, yet I alone deplore.

7Thou wert as a lone star, whose light did shine

8On some frail bark in winter's midnight roar:

9Thou hast like to a rock-built refuge stood

10Above the blind and battling multitude:

11In honoured poverty thy voice did weave

12Songs consecrate to truth and liberty, —

13Deserting these, thou leavest me to grieve,

14Thus having been, that thou shouldst cease to be.

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“To Wordsworth” by Percy Bysshe Shelley — quilloak.com/poems/to-wordsworth

Quick facts

Poem: To Wordsworth
Poet: Percy Bysshe Shelley
Length: 14 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Sad, Nature, Childhood

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Shape: 14 lines · one 14-line stanza
Line length: Mostly 10-syllable lines (pentameter length).

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Author record: Percy Bysshe Shelley1792–1822
Source record: PoetryDBTo Wordsworth 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 6d155626973b96b4…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Sad Nature Childhood

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