Hymn To Intellectual Beauty: Stanza 6 - Summary & Analysis

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Stanza 6

Line 61-72

I vowed that I would dedicate my powers

To thee and thine—have I not kept the vow?

With beating heart and streaming eyes, even now

I call the phantoms of a thousand hours

Each from his voiceless grave: they have in visioned bowers

Of studious zeal or love's delight

Outwatched with me the envious night—

They know that never joy illumed my brow

Unlinked with hope that thou wouldst free

This world from its dark slavery,

That thou—O awful LOVELINESS,

Wouldst give whate'er these words cannot express.

Summary

      He has striven to stem the tide of tyranny He has not forgotten the ecstasy of his own first vision of Beauty; and therefore he has mixed his joy with the hope that a similar vision vouchsafed to everyone will save mankind from its dark slavery.

Analysis

      LI. 61-72. I vowed.....these words cannot express. When Shelley became aware of the presence of Intellectual Beauty, he vowed that he would dedicate his powers to the worship of Beauty and of all beautiful things. He has kept his vow. Even now with his heart throbbing and his eyes filled with tears, he calls upon the ghosts of a 'thousand hours' to come out of their silent graves to bear witness to his resolution not to forget Intellectual Beauty. In the beautiful groves where he had seen glorious visions or in the joy of love or in the hours of deep study, he had never forgotten the existence of the Spirit of Beauty Those hours would know that he felt joy because he had 'the hope that the Spirit of Beauty would free mankind and end all its sufferings. He hoped that the mysterious Spirit would bestow benefits upon the world which cannot be expressed in words.