“Shall earth no more inspire thee” Introduction

• Read the full text of “Shall earth no more inspire thee”

“Shall earth no more inspire thee” Summary

“Shall earth no more inspire thee” Themes

• 

  The Power of Nature

  • See where this theme is active in the poem.
• 

  Melancholy, Isolation, and Withdrawal

  • See where this theme is active in the poem.

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Shall earth no more inspire thee”

• Lines 1-8

  Shall earth no more inspire thee,
  Thou lonely dreamer now?
  Since passion may not fire thee
  Shall Nature cease to bow?
  Thy mind is ever moving
  In regions dark to thee;
  Recall its useless roving—
  Come back and dwell with me.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 9-12

  I know my mountain breezes
  Enchant and soothe thee still—
  I know my sunshine pleases
  Despite thy wayward will.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 13-16

  When day with evening blending
  Sinks from the summer sky,
  I’ve seen thy spirit bending
  In fond idolatry.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 17-20

  I’ve watched thee every hour;
  I know my mighty sway,
  I know my magic power
  To drive thy griefs away.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 21-24

  Few hearts to mortals given
  On earth so wildly pine;
  Yet none would ask a heaven
  More like this earth than thine.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

• Lines 25-28

  Then let my winds caress thee;
  Thy comrade let me be—
  Since nought beside can bless thee,
  Return and dwell with me.

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺

“Shall earth no more inspire thee” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Personification

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Rhetorical Question

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Anaphora

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Repetition

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

  Unlock with LitCharts A⁺
  • See where this poetic device appears in the poem.

“Shall earth no more inspire thee” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Thee, thou, thy, thine
• Fire
• Bow
• Dark
• Roving
• Dwell
• Wayward will
• Fond idolatry
• Sway
• Pine
• Nought beside

• • See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Shall earth no more inspire thee”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“Shall earth no more inspire thee” Speaker

“Shall earth no more inspire thee” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “Shall earth no more inspire thee”

More “Shall earth no more inspire thee” Resources

• External Resources

  • The Brontë Museum — Visit the website of the Brontë Parsonage Museum to learn more about Emily Brontë and her family.

  • A Brief Biography — Learn more about Brontë's short (and rather mysterious) life via the Poetry Foundation.

  • The Poem Set to Music — Listen to excerpts of a song cycle inspired by this poem (and others of Brontë's).

  • The Poem Aloud — Listen to a reading of the poem.

  • Portraits of Bronte — See images of the only two surviving portraits of Emily Brontë—both painted by her brother Branwell.

• LitCharts on Other Poems by Emily Brontë

  • No Coward Soul is Mine

  • Remembrance (Cold in the earth)

  • Spellbound