Trelawny, not believing
Shelley an atheist truly,
once asked him why he
called himself one. He
replied:
"I took up the word, as
a knight took up a gaunt-
let, in defiance of in-
justice." ..
The most constant Shelley-
serpent was the pitiable
outcast - the Pariah, as
he called himself - whose
hatefulness could be trans-
formed by love. When he had
battled against life for
long enough, a woman or a
girl would catch him as he
wearied and press him, soft-
ly, to her breasts.. He had
no sting; he meant no harm.
Ann Wroe
Being Shelley
The Poet's Search
for Himself
Pantheon, 2007©
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