Page:Shelley, a poem, with other writings (Thomson, Debell).djvu/73

Rh terrible Shadow floats up from its throne and ascends the dark chariot of the destined Hour, the exclamation of Panthea is too definite for mistake:

So that when, just before, the Spirit of the Hour announces,

the "yon planet" must be some particular star or the unmentioned moon; and the fall of Jupiter is fixed for this very night, whether of the first or the second day.

Asia and Panthea ascend the car of another Spirit (whose invitation, by-the-bye, is to the daughter, not daughters, of Ocean), who chants of her speed,

and in sc. v. we are "On the brink of the night and the morning." Panthea asks, "Whence is the light? the sun is yet unrisen"; the Spirit answers, "The sun will rise not until noon." We are thus entering on a new day, whether the second or the third, and appear to have already advanced beyond the time of the opening of Act III., which precedes the fall of Jupiter, whose fall was to occur before the setting of "yon planet" of the previous night.

And, indeed, the strife with Demogorgon and the fall of Jupiter did occur, as predicted, that same night; for in Act III. sc. ii., having related the catastrophe to