The Daemon of the World

audiobook

The Daemon of the World

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

EN·~30 minutes·2 chapters

Chapters

2 total

PART 1.

13:18

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.

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Details

Language

en

Duration

~30 minutes (28K characters)

Publisher of text edition

Project Gutenberg

Credits

Produced by Sue Asscher, and David Widger

Release date

Nov 1, 2003

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

Subjects

About the author

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley

1792–1822

A blazing voice of English Romanticism, his poetry joins lyrical beauty with fierce idealism. Even in a short life, he wrote works that kept speaking to later generations about freedom, imagination, and hope.

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