The Triumph of Life

The Triumph of Life is the last major work that Percy Bysshe Shelley composed, and it ends in the middle of a sentence. This unfinished poem has four complete sections, and the beginning of a fifth section.

Section 1 Analysis

Lines 1-40 function as an introduction to Shelley’s long narrative poem. The imagery in the opening stanzas focuses on sunrise. This moment is emphasized through the alliteration (using words that begin with the same letter) of “s.” This letter appears at the beginning of several words, including sun: “Swift as a spirit hastening to his task / Of glory and of good, the Sun sprang forth / Rejoicing in his splendor” (Lines 1-3). Sun is part of the alliteration, as well as consonance (repeated consonant sounds), of these lines. The letter “s” also appears in the words “hastening” and “task” (Line 1), which further emphasizes the transformative moment of sunrise. The sun’s importance can also be seen in its capitalization in Line 2. Sun, and light, are symbols of life’s power and presence.

The speaker, usually read as the poet (Shelley) himself, introduces other features of nature in the beginning stanzas.