Explore the Poem: 'Evening: Ponte Al Mare, Pisa'

In this activity, we will be exploring a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822). It is the first two stanzas of a much longer poem that describes an evening.

 

Read the poem then answer the questions.

 

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Evening: Ponte Al Mare, Pisa

I.

The sun is set; the swallows are asleep;

The bats are flitting fast in the gray air;

The slow soft toads out of damp corners creep,

And evening’s breath, wandering here and there

Over the quivering surface of the stream, 

Wakes not one ripple from its summer dream.

 

II.

There is no dew on the dry grass to-night,

Nor damp within the shadow of the trees;

The wind is intermitting, dry, and light;

And in the inconstant motion of the breeze

The dust and straws are driven up and down,

And whirled about the pavement of the town.

 

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You can  look back at the poem while doing the questions by clicking on the red Help button on the screen.

 

Let's get started.