26 THE "ADONAIS" OF SHELLEY. 



Dimmed the aerial eyes that kindle day; 

 Afar the melancholy thunder moaned ; 

 Pale ocean in unquiet slumber lay ; 

 And the wild winds flew round sobbing in their dismay. 



It may here be observed that the germs of the 

 two last beautiful quotations, as well as their con- 

 tinuation in his poem, were found by Shelley, in the 

 epitaph of Bion on Adonis ; there are, moreover, 

 several lines in " Adonais" which are literal transla- 

 tions, or very nearly so, from Bion. It has often 

 been remarked, in extenuation of plagiarism, that 

 similar thoughts will occur to different persons, but 

 Shelley was a profound Greek scholar, and passion- 

 ately fond of Grecian literature ; so that it is more 

 than probable that he had the epitaph of Bion on 

 Adonis and the in. Idy Ilium of Moschus on the 

 death of Bion, in his mind during the time that he 

 was composing his monody. 



In the two following stanzas there is expressed a 

 pathetic regret that Keats at so early an age, should 

 have exposed himself to criticism also some severe 

 epithets on critics in general, and an allusion to the 

 effect produced on them by Lord Byron's " Hours 

 of Idleness:" 



" Oh gentle child, beautiful as thou wert, 



" Why didst thou leave the trodden paths of men 

 "Too soon, and with weak hand but mighty heart 



" Dare the unpastured dragon in his den ? 



" Defenceless as thou wert, Oh where was then 

 " Wisdom the mirrored shield, or scorn the spear ? 



" Or hadst thou waited the full cycle, when 

 " Thy spirit should have filled its crescent sphere, 

 "The monsters of life's waste had fled from thee like deer. 



"The herded wolves, bold only to pursue: 



" The obscene ravens, clamorous o'er the dead ; 



u The vultures, to the conqueror's banner true 

 " Who feed where desolation first has fed 

 " And whose wings rain contagion : how they fled 



" When like Apollo, from his golden bow, 

 " The Pythian of the age one arrow sped 



