“Hymn to Intellectual Beauty" - Percy Shelley

Percy Shelley's life history intrigued me. The radical, carefree principles of his personal life didn't appear to mirror the strategic and well thought out style of his writings.

In the "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty" it was interesting to discover Shelley's use of intellectual seemed to be metaphorical to nature in his writings. He referenced it as a "power" in the text. (Line 1)

In the first stanza:
"The awful shadow of some unseen Power
Floats, though unseen, amongst us, visiting:
"It visits with inconstant glance"
"Dear, and yet dearer for its mystery" (Lines 1-2, 6, 12)

When I read these lines initially I thought he may be referring to ghosts or some mythical being. I had no idea of his analogy to nature until I continued to read and connect the dots.

It appeared to me Shelley was troubled as to why there could not be a constant state of beauty or bliss by writing:
"Spirit of beauty, that dost consecrate
With thine own hues all thou doest shine upon
Of human thought or form - - where are thy gone?
Why dost they pass away, and leave our state,
This dim vast vale of tears, vacant, and desolate? (Lines 13 - 17)

It seems he continues to contrast these events with the physical and emotional events of life - birth, fears, death, despondency and hope. This is my mind is his attempt to understand how nature mirrors the life cycle itself. How can something be so beautiful at times and so devastating at other times? In my opinion, everything has a season; a time to be born--a time to die---a time to laugh--a time to cry. Its virtually impossible to enjoy the gravity of good times in our lives without some experience or comparison of what challenges are. Shelley used this approach with nature and the cyclical changes.

It appeared his views of atheism may have been come into play as well. Even though he worked to get most of his answers through nature, he did give reference to the "thought" of possibly a higher being when he said, "Therefore the names of God and ghost and Heaven" (Line 27).

The latter verses were my favorite where he says:
"The day becomes more solemn and serene
When noon is past -- there is harmony" (Line 73 - 74)
"Descended, to my onward life supply
It's calm -- to one who worship thee." (Line 80 - 81)

As I read these lines, I visualized my late evenings sitting on my patio after the sun goes down and a cool breeze passes through. As I'm sitting and observing, I become one with nature and the miracle of God's work. I believe Shelley became one with nature as well, but not with the latter due to his athiest beliefs.