The Daemon of the World

audiobook

The Daemon of the World

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

EN·~30 minutes·2 chapters

Chapters

2 total
1

PART 1.

13:18
2

PART 2.

16:47

Description

In this lyrical meditation, a soaring voice weaves together death, sleep, and the mysterious Daemon of the World. The poem opens with a haunting dialogue between night‑time specters and a slumbering maiden, whose golden hair and moon‑lit chamber become the stage for a celestial carriage drawn by four bright shadows. Listeners are carried through storm‑kissed seas, glittering stars, and a chariot of light that hovers over mountains and oceans, inviting wonder at the fragile boundary between mortality and the divine.

The language is richly Romantic, echoing the cadence of ancient hymns while probing modern questions of purpose and freedom. Vivid images of iron‑sceptred skeletons, winged breezes, and the luminous daemon create a tapestry that feels both intimate and cosmic. As the first act unfolds, the work offers a contemplative space where the listener can breathe in the beauty of a world poised between darkness and radiant awakening.

Details

Language

en

Duration

~30 minutes (28K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by Sue Asscher, and David Widger

Release date

2003-11-01

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

Subjects

About the author

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley

1792–1822

A leading voice of English Romanticism, his poems unite beauty, rebellion, and big questions about freedom, nature, and human hope. Though he died at just 29, works like "Ozymandias" and "Ode to the West Wind" helped secure his lasting place in literature.

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