Mont Blanc: Lines Written in the Vale of Chamouni

I

The first line of Shelley’s poem presents readers with a rather lofty subject: “The everlasting universe of things.” The description directly refers to the mountain surveyed by the speaker: Mont Blanc. Mont Blanc is the highest mountain peak in the Alps and rests partially in France, Italy, and Switzerland. In its sublimity, the mountain itself represents this “everlasting universe” (Line 1). The adjective “everlasting” (Line 1) is especially daunting, as it denotes endlessness and immortality. The universe always was and always has been and is all around the (as of yet) disembodied third-person speaker. However, the noun “things” at the end of the line contrasts with this loftiness, sounding more trivial and ambiguous. It is especially out of place given the supreme grandeur of the mountain. The universe is composed of so many objects that all of them are nearly unidentifiable when taken collectively; they are simply “things” (Line 1). The “universe” takes on the shape and qualities of water in the next few lines, relating to the natural landscape the speaker describes. The “everlasting universe of things” (Line 1) “flows” and “rolls its rapid waves” (Line 2) both in the “mind” (Line 2) of the speaker and in the minds of every individual.