Ode to Psyche
O Goddess! hear these tuneless numbers, wrung
By sweet enforcement and remembrance dear,
And pardon that thy secrets should be sung
Even into thine own soft‑conched ear:
Surely I dreamt to‑day, or did I see
The winged Psyche with awaken’d eyes?
I wander’d in a forest thoughtlessly,
And, on the sudden, fainting with surprise,
Saw two fair creatures, couched side by side
In deepest grass, beneath the whisp’ring roof
Of leaves and trembled blossoms, where there ran
A brooklet, scarce espied:Mid hush’d, cool‑rooted flowers, fragrant-eyed,
Blue, silver‑white, and budded Tyrian,
They lay calm‑breathing, on the bedded grass;
Their arms embraced, and their pinions too;
Their lips touch’d not, but had not bade adieu,
As if disjoined by soft‑handed slumber,
And ready still past kisses to outnumber
At tender eye‑dawn of aurorean love:
The winged boy I knew;
But who wast thou, O happy, happy dove?
His Psyche true!O latest born and loveliest vision far
Of all Olympus’ faded hierarchy!
Fairer than Phoebe’s sapphire‑region’d star,
Or Vesper, amorous glow‑worm of the sky;
Fairer than these, though temple thou hast none,
Nor altar heap’d with flowers;
Nor virgin‑choir to make delicious moan
Upon the midnight hours;
No voice, no lute, no pipe, no incense sweet
From chain‑swung censer teeming;
No shrine, no grove, no oracle, no heat
Of pale‑mouth’d prophet dreaming.O brightest! though too late for antique vows,
Too, too late for the fond believing lyre,
When holy were the haunted forest boughs,
Holy the air, the water, and the fire;
Yet even in these days so far retir’d
From happy pieties, thy lucent fans,
Fluttering among the faint Olympians,
I see, and sing, by my own eyes inspir’d.
So let me be thy choir, and make a moan
Upon the midnight hours;
Thy voice, thy lute, thy pipe, thy incense sweet
From swinged censer teeming;
Thy shrine, thy grove, thy oracle, thy heat
Of pale‑mouth’d prophet dreaming.Yes, I will be thy priest, and build a fane
In some untrodden region of my mind,
Where branched thoughts, new grown with pleasant pain,
Instead of pines shall murmur in the wind:
Far, far around shall those dark‑cluster’d trees
Fledge the wild‑ridged mountains steep by steep;
And there by zephyrs, streams, and birds, and bees,
The moss‑lain Dryads shall be lull’d to sleep;
And in the midst of this wide quietness
A rosy sanctuary will I dress
With the wreath’d trellis of a working brain,
With buds, and bells, and stars without a name,
With all the gardener Fancy e’er could feign,
With buds, and bells, and stars without a name,
With all the gardener Fancy e’er could feign,
Who breeding flowers, will never breed the same:
And there shall be for thee all soft delight
That shadowy thought can win,
A bright torch, and a casement ope at night
To let the warm Love in!
What the Poem Says
“Ode to Psyche” is a deeply personal and imaginative poem in which the speaker addresses Psyche, the ancient figure who represents the soul and was later deified. He wonders whether he dreamt or actually saw her resting with Cupid in a secluded forest. The poem captures his awe at her beauty and his sorrow that she has no traditional temple or worship. Driven by reverence, he pledges to become her priest and to construct a sanctuary within the depths of his own mind—a space devoted to her beauty and the power of imagination. The poem celebrates love, beauty, and the creative impulse.
How the Poem Works
Structure and Mood
The poem unfolds in several stanzas that gradually shift from wonder to devotion. The early stanzas establish the speaker’s encounter with Psyche, while the later stanzas describe the sanctuary he will build within his mind. The overall structure mirrors the speaker’s growing dedication, moving from observation toward active worship.
Key Ideas
- The Power of Imagination: The poem emphasizes that the human mind can create sacred spaces without physical temples. The mental sanctuary illustrates the limitless potential of imagination.
- The Absence of Traditional Worship: Psyche lacks a conventional cult, prompting the speaker to forge a new form of reverence born from personal inspiration rather than established religion.
- The Interplay of Love and Beauty: Love and beauty intertwine throughout the poem, with Psyche embodying both and the speaker’s devotion fueled by deep affection.
Literary Tools That Help the Message
Allusion
The poem references Greek mythological figures such as Psyche, Cupid, Phoebe, Vesper, and Dryads. These allusions enrich the text and connect it to a broader literary tradition, lending timelessness to the poem’s themes.
Apostrophe
The entire poem is an extended apostrophe—a direct address to Psyche. This technique creates an intimate tone, as if the speaker is conversing privately with the goddess.
Imagery
Vivid descriptions of the forest—“deepest grass,” “whisp’ring roof of leaves”—create a lush, immersive setting. The sensory details bring the scene to life and engage the reader’s imagination.
Metaphor and Symbolism
Psyche represents the soul and the beauty of imagination. The “bright torch” and the “casement ope at night” symbolize inspiration and the welcoming of love into the mental sanctuary. The sanctuary itself is a metaphor for the creative process.
Personification
Natural elements such as “haunted” forest boughs and “holy” air, water, and fire personify the environment, underscoring its sacred quality and reflecting Psyche’s divinity.
Repetition and Parallelism
The repeated phrase “Thy voice, thy lute, thy pipe, thy incense sweet” emphasizes what Psyche lacks and the speaker’s promise to provide these elements in his mental sanctuary. The parallelism adds rhythmic and lyrical emphasis.
Rhyme and Rhythm
The poem largely follows a modified ode stanza structure, with a fluid rhyme scheme and varied meter that contribute to its musicality. The predominant rhythm is iambic pentameter, lending the verses a dignified, lyrical quality.
What the Poem Tells Us About Love and Art
“Ode to Psyche” demonstrates that true worship need not rely on grand temples or elaborate rituals. Instead, sincere devotion can manifest as a personal mental sanctuary. By creating such a space, the speaker transforms reverence into a lasting tribute. The poem celebrates the imagination’s power to produce beauty, inspire love, and transcend physical limits. It asserts that art is a form of worship—a bridge to the divine and a celebration of the human soul.
Passage to Discuss
With all the gardener Fancy e’er could feign,
Who breeding flowers, will never breed the same:
And there shall be for thee all soft delight
That shadowy thought can win,
A bright torch, and a casement ope at night
To let the warm Love in!
This concluding passage encapsulates the poem’s central message. The image of the “gardener Fancy” illustrates the creative imagination as fertile ground for beauty and inspiration. The fact that the gardener will never breed the same flower emphasizes the unique, endlessly inventive power of imagination. The bright torch and the open casement symbolize welcoming love and inspiration into the mental sanctuary. This passage affirms that art is not merely imitation; it is a dynamic, transformative process capable of creating a world of beauty and delight.