"The pale purple even melts around thy flight; Like a star of heaven in the broad daylight, Though art unseen, but yet I hear thy shrill delight—" 'To a Skylark' is a classic poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, first published in 1820 within his work 'Prometheus Unbound'. The verses begin by describing a skylark above him, praising his traits via a number of similes. It is one of his most famous poems, and over the years it has influenced and inspired numerous works by authors, poets and songwriters, further securing its legacy in the history of literature. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets, and is widely considered to be among the finest lyric poets of the English language. Among his most cherished works are pieces such as 'Ozymandias' (1817), 'Ode to the West Wind' (1820), 'To a Skylark' (1820), and 'The Masque of Anarchy' (1819). Shelley's unconventional life and uncompromising idealism, combined with his strong skeptical voice, made him a authoritative and much denigrated figure during his life. Famous for his association with his contemporaries John Keats & Lord Byron, he was also married to novelist Mary Shelley.
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Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is widely considered to be among the finest lyric poets of the English language. He is perhaps most famous for such anthology pieces as Ozymandias, Ode to the West Wind, To a Skylark, and The Masque of Anarchy. However, his major works were long visionary poems including Alastor, Adonais, The Revolt of Islam, Prometheus Unbound and the unfinished The Triumph of Life. Shelley's unconventional life and uncompromising idealism, combined with his strong skeptical voice, made him a authoritative and much denigrated figure during his life. He became the idol of the next two or three generations of poets, including the major Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite poets Robert Browning, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Algernon Charles Swinburne, as well as William Butler Yeats and poets in other languages such as Jibanananda Das and Subramanya Bharathy. He was also admired by Karl Marx, Henry Stephens Salt, and Bertrand Russell. Famous for his association with his contemporaries John Keats and Lord Byron, he was also married to novelist Mary Shelley.
