The Full Text of “Spellbound”
1The night is darkening round me,
2The wild winds coldly blow;
3But a tyrant spell has bound me
4And I cannot, cannot go.
5The giant trees are bending
6Their bare boughs weighed with snow,
7And the storm is fast descending,
8And yet I cannot go.
9Clouds beyond clouds above me,
10Wastes beyond wastes below;
11But nothing drear can move me;
12I will not, cannot go.
The Full Text of “Spellbound”
1The night is darkening round me,
2The wild winds coldly blow;
3But a tyrant spell has bound me
4And I cannot, cannot go.
5The giant trees are bending
6Their bare boughs weighed with snow,
7And the storm is fast descending,
8And yet I cannot go.
9Clouds beyond clouds above me,
10Wastes beyond wastes below;
11But nothing drear can move me;
12I will not, cannot go.
-
“Spellbound” Introduction
-
-
“Spellbound” Summary
-
-
“Spellbound” Themes
-
Despair and Powerlessness
- See where this theme is active in the poem.
-
-
Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Spellbound”
-
Lines 1-4
The night is darkening round me,
The wild winds coldly blow;
But a tyrant spell has bound me
And I cannot, cannot go. -
Lines 5-8
The giant trees are bending
Their bare boughs weighed with snow,
And the storm is fast descending,
And yet I cannot go. -
Lines 9-12
Clouds beyond clouds above me,
Wastes beyond wastes below;
But nothing drear can move me;
I will not, cannot go.
-
-
“Spellbound” Symbols
-
The Landscape
- See where this symbol appears in the poem.
-
-
“Spellbound” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
-
Repetition
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Imagery
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Personification
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Caesura
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Alliteration
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
-
“Spellbound” 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.
- Tyrant
- Bound
- Boughs
- Wastes
- Drear
-
- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
-
Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Spellbound”
-
Form
-
Meter
-
Rhyme Scheme
-
-
“Spellbound” Speaker
-
-
“Spellbound” Setting
-
-
Literary and Historical Context of “Spellbound”
-
-
More “Spellbound” Resources
-
External Resources
-
The Poem Aloud — Listen to a reading of the poem.
-
A Brief Biography — Visit the British Library's website to learn more about Emily Brontë's life and work.
-
The Poetry of Gondal — See images of some of Emily Brontë's manuscripts, poems copied out in her tiny, meticulous handwriting. These poems (like "Spellbound") are connected to or set in the Brontë children's made-up land, Gondal.
-
A Portrait of Brontë — See a portrait of Emily Brontë by her ne'er-do-well brother Branwell.
-
Brontë's Influence — Read an article celebrating Emily Brontë's literary legacy—particularly the afterlife of her great novel Wuthering Heights.
-
The Poem Set to Music — Listen to a musical interpretation of the poem.
-
-
LitCharts on Other Poems by Emily Brontë
-
