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P. B. Shelley's poem is an invocation to the power of the west wind. The poet
associates with it, the power of nature as well as the transcendental world of the
divine. The divine order for Shelley is a matter of power. Throughout the poem,
Shelley sees the 'unseen presence' of the west wind in terms of a revolutionary force
that gets rid of the old thoughts and ushers in the new. The idea is carried through the
image of the dead leaves which are taken to their graves by the chariot of the wind
until in spring, winged seeds sprout to new life. It is in this way that the wind is both a
destroyer and a preserver.
It is a celebration of the new year, waiting to arrive and mourns the passing away of
the old. The locks of the approaching storm in the wake of the wind is compared to
the fierce locks of aenad. The wind is the figure of inspiration for the poet. !e
wants to imbibe from it, the revolutionary sparkles and scatter it across humankind.
The wind awakens the sea from its slumber where it had been dreaming of old palaces
and towers which tremble on the surface of the water. The wind is fearfully dominant
and the poet only wants to play second fiddle to him, knowing well after the passing
away of his youthful arrogance that it is impossible to match its prowess.
The poem Ode to the West Wind consists of five cantos written in ter"a rima. #ach canto
consists of four tercets $%B%, B&B, &'&, '#'( and a rhyming couplet $##(. The )de is
written in iambic pentameter.
The poem begins with three cantos describing the wind's effects upon earth, air, and ocean.
The last two cantos are Shelley speaking directly to the wind, asking for its power, to lift him
like a leaf, a cloud or a wave and make him its companion in its wanderings. !e asks the
wind to take his thoughts and spread them all over the world so that the youth are awoken
with his ideas. The poem ends with an optimistic note which is that if winter days are here
then spring is not very far.
Interpretation of the poem
The poem Ode to the West Wind can be divided in two parts* the first three cantos are about
the +ualities of the ,-ind. and end each with the invocation ,)h hear/.. The last two cantos
give a relation between the ,-ind. and the speaker.
First Canto
The first stan"a begins with the alliteration ,wild West Wind$0.0(. The form of the
apostrophe makes the wind also a personification. !owever, one must not think of this ,Ode
as an optimistic praise of the wind1 it is clearly associated with autumn. The first few lines
contain sinister elements, such as ,leaves dead $l. 2(, the aspect of death being highlighted by
the inversion which puts ,dead $l. 2( at the end of the line. These leaves haunt as ,ghosts $l.
3( that flee from something that panics them.
,chariotest $l. 4( is the second person singular. The ,corpse within its grave $l. 5( in the ne6t
line is in contrast to the ,azure sister of the Spring $l. 7( 8 a reference to the east wind 8
whose ,living hues and odours $l.02( evoke a strong contrast to the colors of the fourth line
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of the poem that evoke death. In the last line of this canto the west wind is considered the
,Destroyer $l. 09( because it drives the last signs of life from the trees, and the ,Preserver
$l.09( for scattering the seeds which will come to life in the spring.
Second Canto
The second canto of the poem is much more fluid than the first one. The sky.s ,clouds $l. 04(
are ,like earths decaying leaves. $l. 04(. They are a reference to the second line of the first
canto $,leaves dead., l. 2(.They also are numerous in number like the dead leaves. Through
this reference the landscape is recalled again. The ,clouds. $l. 04( are ,Shook from the tangled
boughs of Heaven and Ocean $l. 0:(. This probably refers to the fact that the line between
the sky and the stormy sea is indistinguishable and the whole space from the hori"on to the
"enith is covered with trailing storm clouds. The ,clouds. can also be seen as ,ngels of rain
$l. 05(. In a biblical way, they may be messengers that bring a message from heaven down to
earth through rain and lightning. These two natural phenomena with their ;fertili"ing and
illuminating power< bring a change.
=ine 20 begins with ,Of some fierce !aenad """. $l. 20( and again the west wind is part of the
second canto of the poem1 here he is two things at once* first he is ,dirge#Of the dying year
$l. 23f( and second he is ;a prophet of tumult whose prediction is decisive<1 a prophet who
does not only bring ,black rain$ and fire$ and hail $l. 25(, but who ,will burst $l. 25( it. The
,locks of the approaching storm $l. 23( are the messengers of this bursting* the ,clouds.
Shelley also mentions that when the -est -ind blows, it seems to be singing a funeral song
about the year coming to an end and that the sky covered with a dome of clouds looks like a
'sepulchre' i.e. a burial chamber or grave for the dying year or the year which is coming to an
end.
Shelley in this canto ;e6pands his vision from the earthly scene with the leaves before him to
take in the vaster commotion of the skies<. This means that the wind is now no longer at the
hori"on and therefore far away, but he is e6actly above us. The clouds now reflect the image
of the swirling leaves1 this is a parallelism that gives evidence that we lifted ;our attention
from the finite world into the macrocosm<. The ,clouds can also be compared with the
leaves1 but the clouds are more unstable and bigger than the leaves and they can be seen as
messengers of rain and lightning as it was mentioned above.
Third Canto
This refers to the effect of west wind in the water. The +uestion that comes up when reading
the third canto at first is what the sub>ect of the verb ,saw $l. 33( could be. )n the one hand
there is the ,blue !editerranean $l. 3?(. -ith the ,!editerranean as sub>ect of the canto,
the ;syntactical movement< is continued and there is no break in the fluency of the poem1 it is
said that ,he lay$ # %ulld by the coil of his crystalline streams$#&eside a pumice isle in
&aiaes bay$ # nd saw in sleep old palaces and towers $l. 3?833(. )n the other hand it is
also possible that the lines of this canto refer to the ,wind again. Then the verb that belongs
to the ,wind as sub>ect is not ,lay, but the previous line of this canto, that says ,'hou who
didst waken """ nd saw. $l. 27, 33(. But whoever 8 the ,!editerranean or the ,wind 8 ,saw
$l. 33( the +uestion remains whether the city one of them saw, is real and therefore a
reflection on the water of a city that really e6ists on the coast1 or the city is >ust an illusion.
Pirie is not sure of that either. !e says that it might be ;a creative you interpretation of the
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billowing seaweed1 or of the glimmering sky reflected on the heaving surface<. Both
possibilities seem to be logical. To e6plain the appearance of an underwater world, it might
be easier to e6plain it by something that is realistic1 and that might be that the wind is able to
produce illusions on the water. -ith its pressure, the wind ;would waken the appearance of a
city<. @rom what is known of the ,wind from the last two cantos, it became clear that the
,wind is something that plays the role of a &reator. -hether the wind creates real things or
illusions does not seem to be that important.
Baiae's bay $at the northern end of the Aulf of Baples( actually contains visible Coman ruins
underwater $that have been shifted due to earth+uakes.( )bviously the moss and flowers are
seaweed.
It appears as if the third canto shows 8 in comparison with the previous cantos 8 a turningD
point. -hereas Shelley had accepted death and changes in life in the first and second canto,
he now turns to ;wistful reminiscence E, recallsF an alternative possibility of transcendence<.
@rom line 24 to line 34 he gives an image of nature. But if we look closer at line 34, we
realise that the sentence is not what it appears to be at first sight, because it obviously means
,so sweet that one feels faint in describing them.. This shows that the idyllic picture is not
what it seems to be and that the harmony will certainly soon be destroyed. % few lines later,
Shelley suddenly talks about ,fear $l. 90(. This again shows the influence of the west wind
which announces the change of the season.
Fourth Canto
-hereas the cantos one to three began with ,O wild West Wind. $l. 0( and ,'hou.... $l. 0G, 27(
and were clearly directed to the wind, there is a change in the fourth canto. The focus is no
more on the ,wind., but on the speaker who says ,(f (""". $l. 93f(. Hntil this part, the poem has
appeared very anonymous and was only concentrated on the ,wind. and its forces so that the
author of the poem was more or less forgotten. Pirie calls this ;the suppression of
personality< which finally vanishes at that part of the poem. It becomes more and more clear
that what the author talks about now is himself. That this must be true, shows the fre+uency
of the author.s use of the firstDperson pronouns ,(. $l. 93, 99, 95, G0, G9(, ,my. $l. 95, G2( and
,me. $l. G3(. These pronouns appear nine times in the fourth canto. &ertainly the author wants
to dramatise the atmosphere so that the reader recalls the situation of canto one to three. !e
achieves this by using the same pictures of the previous cantos in this one. -hereas these
pictures, such as ,leaf., ,cloud. and ,wave. have e6isted only together with the ,wind., they
are now e6isting with the author. The author thinks about being one of them and says ,(f (
were a """. $l. 93ff(. Shelley here identifies himself with the wind, although he knows that he
cannot do that, because it is impossible for someone to put all the things he has learned from
life aside and enter a ;world of innocence<. That Shelley is deeply aware of his closedness in
life and his identity shows his command in line G3. There he says ,Oh$ lift me up as a wave$ a
leaf$ a cloud. $l. G3(. !e knows that this is something impossible to achieve, but he does not
stop praying for it. The only chance Shelley sees to make his prayer and wish for a new
identity with the -ind come true is by pain or death, as death leads to rebirth. So, he wants to
,fall upon the thorns of life. and ,bleed. $l. G9(.
%t the end of the canto the poet tells us that ,a heavy weight of hours has chaind and bowd.
$l. GG(. This may be a reference to the years that have passed and ,chained and bowed. $l. GG(
the hope of the people who fought for freedom and were literally imprisoned. -ith this
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knowledge, the -est -ind becomes a different meaning. The wind is the ,uncontrollable. $l.
9:( who is ,tameless. $l. G4(.
)ne more thing that one should mention is that this canto sounds like a kind of prayer or
confession of the poet. This confession does not address Aod and therefore sounds very
impersonal.
Shelley also changes his use of metaphors in this canto. In the first cantos the wind was a
metaphor e6plained at full length. Bow the metaphors are only weakly presented 8 ,the
thorns of life. $l. G9(. Shelley also leaves out the fourth element* the fire. In the previous
cantos he wrote about the earth, the air and the water. The reader now e6pects the fire 8 but it
is not there. This leads to a break in the symmetry.
Fifth Canto
%gain the wind is very important in this last canto. %t the beginning of the poem the ,wind.
was only capable of blowing the leaves from the trees. In the previous canto the poet
identified himself with the leaves. In this canto the ,wind is now capable of using both of
these things mentioned before.
#verything that had been said before was part of the elements 8 wind, earth and water. Bow
the fourth element comes in* the fire.
There is also a confrontation in this canto* whereas in line G: Shelley writes ,me thy., there is
,thou me. in line 42. This ;signals a restored confidence, if not in the poet.s own abilities, at
least in his capacity to communicate with E...F the -ind<.
It is also necessary to mention that the firstDperson pronouns again appear in a great
fre+uency1 but the possessive pronoun ,my. predominates. Hnlike the fre+uent use of the ,(.
in the previous canto that made the canto sound selfDconscious, this canto might now sound
selfDpossessed. The canto is no more a re+uest or a prayer as it had been in the fourth canto 8
it is a demand. The poet becomes the wind.s instrument 8 his ,lyrce. $l. G:(. This is a symbol
of the poet.s own passivity towards the wind1 he becomes his musician and the wind.s breath
becomes his breath. The poet.s attitude towards the wind has changed* in the first canto the
wind has been an ,enchanter. $l. 3(, now the wind has become an ,incantation. $l. 4G(.
%nd there is another contrast between the two last cantos* in the fourth canto the poet had
articulated himself in singular* ,a leaf. $l. 93, G3(, ,a cloud. $l. 99, G3(, , wave. $l. 9G, G3(
and ,One too like thee. $l. G4(. In this canto, the ;sense of personality as vulnerably
individualised led to selfDdoubt< and the greatest fear was that what was ,tameless$ and swift$
and proud $l. G4( will stay ,chaind and bowd $l. GG(. The last canto differs from that. The
poet in this canto uses plural forms, for e6ample, ,my leaves $l. G5, 49(, ,thy harmonies $l.
G7(, ,my thoughts $l. 43(, ,ashes and sparks $l. 4:( and ,my lips $l. 45(. By the use of the
plural, the poet is able to show that there is some kind of peace and pride in his words. It even
seems as if he has redefined himself because the uncertainty of the previous canto has been
blown away. The ,leaves merge with those of an entire forest and ,Will become components
in a whole tumult of mighty harmonies. The use of this ,-ill. $l. 4?( is certainly a reference
to the future. Through the future meaning, the poem itself does not only sound as something
that might have happened in the past, but it may even be a kind of ,prophecy $l. 47( for what
might come 8 the future.
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%t last, Shelley again calls the -ind in a kind of prayer and even wants him to be ,his Spirit*
he says* ,!y spirit) &e thou me$ impetuous one). $l. 42(. =ike the leaves of the trees in a
forest, his leaves will fall and decay and will perhaps soon flourish again when the spring
comes. That may be why he is looking forward to the spring and asks at the end of the last
canto ,(f Winter comes$ can Spring be far behind* $l. :?(. This is of course a rhetorical
+uestion because spring does come after winter, but the IifI suggests that it might not come if
the rebirth is strong and e6tensive enough, and if it is not, another renewalDDDspringDDDwill
come anyway. Thus the +uestion has a deeper meaning and does not only mean the change of
seasons, but is a reference to death and rebirth as well. It also indicates that after the struggles
and problems in life, there would always be a solution. It shows us the optimistic view of the
poet about life which he would like the world to know. It is an interpretation of his saying 'If
you are suffering now, there will be good times ahead.' But the most powerful call to the
-ind are the lines* I'rive my dead thoughts over the universeJlike withered leaves to
+uicken a new birth/I !ere Shelley is imploringDDDor really chanting toDDDthe -ind to blow
away all of his useless thoughts so that he can be a vessel for the -ind and, as a result,
awaken the #arth.
Conclusion
This poem is a highly controlled te6t about the role of the poet as the agent of political and
moral change. This was a sub>ect Shelley wrote a great deal about, especially around 0507,
with this strongest version of it articulated the last famous lines of his I'efence of PoetryI*
IPoets are the hierophants of an unapprehended inspiration1 the mirrors of the gigantic
shadows which futurity casts upon the present1 the words which e6press what they
understand not1 the trumpets which sing to battle, and feel not what they inspire1 the influence
which is moved not, but moves. Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.I
Context
Percy Bysshe Shelley was born in 1792, into a wealthy Sussex family which eventually attaine minor noble
ran!"the #oet$s %ranfather, a wealthy businessman, receive a baronetcy in 1&'() *imothy Shelley, the #oet$s
father, was a member of Parliament an a country %entleman) *he youn% Shelley entere +ton, a #resti%ious
school for boys, at the a%e of twelve) ,hile he was there, he iscovere the wor!s of a #hiloso#her name
(
,illiam -owin, which he consume #assionately an in which he became a fervent believer. the youn% man
wholeheartely embrace the ieals of liberty an e/uality es#ouse by the 0rench 1evolution, an evote his
consierable #assion an #ersuasive #ower to convincin% others of the ri%htness of his beliefs) +nterin% 2xfor
in 1&1', Shelley was ex#elle the followin% s#rin% for his #art in authorin% a #am#hlet entitle The Necessity of
Atheism"atheism bein% an outra%eous iea in reli%iously conservative nineteenth3century +n%lan)
4t the a%e of nineteen, Shelley elo#e with 5arriet ,estbroo!, the sixteen3year3ol au%hter of a tavern
!ee#er, whom he marrie es#ite his inherent isli!e for the tavern) 6ot lon% after, he mae the #ersonal
ac/uaintance of ,illiam -owin in 7onon, an #rom#tly fell in love with -owin$s au%hter 8ary ,ollstonecraft,
whom he was eventually able to marry, an who is now remembere #rimarily as the author of Frankenstein. 9n
1&1(, the Shelleys travele to Swit:erlan to meet 7or Byron, the most famous, celebrate, an controversial
#oet of the era. the two men became close friens) 4fter a time, they forme a circle of +n%lish ex#atriates in
Pisa, travelin% throu%hout 9taly. urin% this time Shelley wrote most of his finest lyric #oetry, incluin% the
immortal ;2e to the ,est ,in< an ;*o a S!ylar!)< 9n 1&22, Shelley rowne while sailin% in a storm off the
9talian coast) 5e was not yet thirty years ol)
Shelley belon%s to the youn%er %eneration of +n%lish 1omantic #oets, the %eneration that came to #rominence
while ,illiam ,orsworth an Samuel *aylor =oleri%e were settlin% into mile a%e) ,here the oler
%eneration was mar!e by sim#le ieals an a reverence for nature, the #oets of the youn%er %eneration >which
also inclue ?ohn @eats an the infamous 7or ByronA came to be !nown for their sensuous aestheticism, their
ex#lorations of intense #assions, their #olitical raicalism, an their tra%ically short lives)
Shelley ie when he was twenty3nine, Byron when he was thirty3six, an @eats when he was only twenty3six
years ol) *o an extent, the intensity of feelin% em#hasi:e by 1omanticism meant that the movement was
always associate with youth, an because Byron, @eats, an Shelley ie youn% >an never ha the o##ortunity
to sin! into conservatism an com#lacency as ,orsworth iA, they have attaine iconic status as the
re#resentative tra%ic 1omantic artists) Shelley$s life an his #oetry certainly su##ort such an unerstanin%, but it
is im#ortant not to inul%e in stereoty#es to the extent that they obscure a #oet$s iniviual character) Shelley$s
Boy, his ma%nanimity, his faith in humanity, an his o#timism are uni/ue amon% the 1omantics. his ex#ression of
those feelin%s ma!es him one of the early nineteenth century$s most si%nificant writers in +n%lish)
Analysis
*he central thematic concerns of Shelley$s #oetry are lar%ely the same themes that efine 1omanticism,
es#ecially amon% the youn%er +n%lish #oets of Shelley$s eraC beauty, the #assions, nature, #olitical liberty,
creativity, an the sanctity of the ima%ination) ,hat ma!es Shelley$s treatment of these themes uni/ue is his
#hiloso#hical relationshi# to his subBect matter"which was better evelo#e an articulate than that of any
other 1omantic #oet with the #ossible exce#tion of ,orsworth"an his tem#erament, which was extraorinarily
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sensitive an res#onsive even for a 1omantic #oet, an which #ossesse an extraorinary ca#acity for Boy, love,
an ho#e) Shelley fervently believe in the #ossibility of reali:in% an ieal of human ha##iness as base on
beauty, an his moments of ar!ness an es#air >he ha many, #articularly in boo!3len%th #oems such as the
monumental Queen MabA almost always stem from his isa##ointment at seein% that ieal sacrifice to human
wea!ness)
Shelley$s intense feelin%s about beauty an ex#ression are ocumente in #oems such as ;2e to the ,est
,in< an ;*o a S!ylar!,< in which he invo!es meta#hors from nature to characteri:e his relationshi# to his art)
*he center of his aesthetic #hiloso#hy can be foun in his im#ortant essay A Defence of Poetry, in which he
ar%ues that #oetry brin%s about moral %oo) Poetry, Shelley ar%ues, exercises an ex#ans the ima%ination, an
the ima%ination is the source of sym#athy, com#assion, an love, which rest on the ability to #roBect oneself into
the #osition of another #erson) 5e writes,
A man, to be greatly good, must imagine intensely and comprehensiely! he must put himself in the place of
another and of many others. The pains and pleasures of his species must become his o"n. The great instrument
of moral good is the imagination! and poetry administers to the effect by acting upon the cause. Poetry enlarges
the circumference of the imagination by replenishing it "ith thoughts of eer ne" delight, "hich hae the po"er
of attracting and assimilating to their o"n nature all other thoughts, and "hich form ne" interals and interstices
"hose oid foreer craes fresh food. Poetry strengthens the faculty "hich is the organ of the moral nature of
man, in the same manner as e#ercise strengthens a limb.
6o other +n%lish #oet of the early nineteenth century so em#hasi:e the connection between beauty an
%ooness, or believe so avily in the #ower of art$s sensual #leasures to im#rove society) Byron$s #ose was one
of amoral sensuousness, or of controversial rebelliousness. @eats believe in beauty an aesthetics for their own
sa!e) But Shelley was able to believe that #oetry ma!es #eo#le an society better. his #oetry is suffuse with this
!in of ins#ire moral o#timism, which he ho#e woul affect his reaers sensuously, s#iritually, an morally, all
at the same time)
Themes, Motifs & Symbols
Themes
*he 5eroic, Disionary 1ole of the Poet
9n Shelley$s #oetry, the fi%ure of the #oet >an, to some extent, the fi%ure of Shelley himselfA is not sim#ly a
talente entertainer or even a #erce#tive moralist but a %ran, tra%ic, #ro#hetic hero) *he #oet has a ee#,
mystic a##reciation for nature, as in the #oem ;*o ,orsworth< >1&1(A, an this intense connection with the
&
natural worl %ives him access to #rofoun cosmic truths, as in ;4lastor. or, *he S#irit of Solitue< >1&1(A) 5e
has the #ower"an the uty"to translate these truths, throu%h the use of his ima%ination, into #oetry, but only a
!in of #oetry that the #ublic can unerstan) *hus, his #oetry becomes a !in of #ro#hecy, an throu%h his
wors, a #oet has the ability to chan%e the worl for the better an to brin% about #olitical, social, an s#iritual
chan%e) Shelley$s #oet is a near3ivine savior, com#arable to Prometheus, who stole ivine fire an %ave it to
humans in -ree! mytholo%y, an to =hrist) 7i!e Prometheus an =hrist, fi%ures of the #oets in Shelley$s wor! are
often oome to sufferC because their visionary #ower isolates them from other men, because they are
misunerstoo by critics, because they are #ersecute by a tyrannical %overnment, or because they are
suffocate by conventional reli%ion an mile3class values) 9n the en, however, the #oet trium#hs because his
art is immortal, outlastin% the tyranny of %overnment, reli%ion, an society an livin% on to ins#ire new
%enerations)
*he Power of 6ature
7i!e many of the romantic #oets, es#ecially ,illiam ,orsworth, Shelley emonstrates a %reat reverence
for the beauty of nature, an he feels closely connecte to nature$s #ower) 9n his early #oetry, Shelley shares the
romantic interest in #antheism"the belief that -o, or a ivine, unifyin% s#irit, runs throu%h everythin% in the
universe) 5e refers to this unifyin% natural force in many #oems, escribin% it as the ;s#irit of beauty< in ;5ymn to
9ntellectual Beauty< an ientifyin% it with 8ont Blanc an the 4rve 1iver in ;8ont Blanc)< *his force is the cause
of all human Boy, faith, %ooness, an #leasure, an it is also the source of #oetic ins#iration an ivine truth)
Shelley asserts several times that this force can influence #eo#le to chan%e the worl for the better) 5owever,
Shelley simultaneously reco%ni:es that nature$s #ower is not wholly #ositive) 6ature estroys as often as it
ins#ires or creates, an it estroys cruelly an iniscriminately) 0or this reason, Shelley$s eli%ht in nature is
miti%ate by an awareness of its ar! sie)
*he Power of the 5uman 8in
Shelley uses nature as his #rimary source of #oetic ins#iration) 9n such #oems as ;*he 8as! of 4narchy ,ritten
on the 2ccasion of the 8assacre at 8anchester< >1&19A an ;2e to the ,est ,in,< Shelley su%%ests that the
natural worl hols a sublime #ower over his ima%ination) *his #ower seems to come from a stran%er, more
mystical #lace than sim#ly his a##reciation for nature$s beauty or %raneur) 4t the same time, althou%h nature
has creative #ower over Shelley because it #rovies ins#iration, he feels that his ima%ination has creative #ower
over nature) 9t is the ima%ination"or our ability to form sensory #erce#tions"that allows us to escribe nature in
ifferent, ori%inal ways, which hel# to sha#e how nature a##ears an, therefore, how it exists) *hus, the #ower of
the human min becomes e/ual to the #ower of nature, an the ex#erience of beauty in the natural worl
becomes a !in of collaboration between the #erceiver an the #erceive) Because Shelley cannot be sure that
the sublime #owers he senses in nature are only the result of his %ifte ima%ination, he fins it ifficult to attribute
nature$s #ower to -oC the human role in sha#in% nature ama%es Shelley$s ability to believe that nature$s
beauty comes solely from a ivine source)
Motifs
4utumn
Shelley sets many of his #oems in autumn, incluin% ;5ymn to 9ntellectual Beauty< an ;2e to the ,est ,in)<
0all is a time of beauty an eath, an so it shows both the creative an estructive #owers of nature, a favorite
Shelley theme) 4s a time of chan%e, autumn is a fittin% bac!ro# for Shelley$s vision of #olitical an social
revolution) 9n ;2e to the ,est ,in,< autumn$s brilliant colors an violent wins em#hasi:e the #assionate,
intense nature of the #oet, while the ecay an eath inherent in the season su%%est the sacrifice an martyrom
of the =hrist3li!e #oet)
9
Symbols
*he ,est ,in
Shelley uses the ,est ,in to symboli:e the #ower of nature an of the ima%ination ins#ire by nature) Enli!e
8ont Blanc, however, the ,est ,in is active an ynamic in #oems, such as ;2e to the ,est ,in)< ,hile
8ont Blanc is immobile, the ,est ,in is an a%ent for chan%e) +ven as it estroys, the win encoura%es new life
on earth an social #ro%ress amon% humanity)
Ode to the West Wind
Summary
*he s#ea!er invo!es the ;wil ,est ,in< of autumn, which scatters the ea leaves an s#reas sees so that
they may be nurture by the s#rin%, an as!s that the win, a ;estroyer an #reserver,< hear him) *he s#ea!er
calls the win the ;ir%e F 2f the yin% year,< an escribes how it stirs u# violent storms, an a%ain im#lores it to
hear him) *he s#ea!er says that the win stirs the 8eiterranean from ;his summer reams,< an cleaves the
4tlantic into cho##y chasms, ma!in% the ;sa#less folia%e< of the ocean tremble, an as!s for a thir time that it
hear him)
1'
*he s#ea!er says that if he were a ea leaf that the win coul bear, or a clou it coul carry, or a wave
it coul #ush, or even if he were, as a boy, ;the comrae< of the win$s ;wanerin% over heaven,< then he woul
never have neee to #ray to the win an invo!e its #owers) 5e #leas with the win to lift him ;as a wave, a
leaf, a clouG<"for thou%h he is li!e the win at heart, untamable an #rou"he is now chaine an bowe with
the wei%ht of his hours u#on the earth)
*he s#ea!er as!s the win to ;ma!e me thy lyre,< to be his own S#irit, an to rive his thou%hts across the
universe, ;li!e withere leaves, to /uic!en a new birth)< 5e as!s the win, by the incantation of this verse, to
scatter his wors amon% man!in, to be the ;trum#et of a #ro#hecy)< S#ea!in% both in re%ar to the season an
in re%ar to the effect u#on man!in that he ho#es his wors to have, the s#ea!er as!sC ;9f winter comes, can
s#rin% be far behinH<
Form
+ach of the seven #arts of ;2e to the ,est ,in< contains five stan:as"four three3line stan:as an a two3line
cou#let, all metere in iambic #entameter) *he rhyme scheme in each #art follows a #attern !nown as ter$a rima,
the three3line rhyme scheme em#loye by Iante in his Diine %omedy. 9n the three3line ter$a rima stan:a, the
first an thir lines rhyme, an the mile line oes not. then the en soun of that mile line is em#loye as the
rhyme for the first an thir lines in the next stan:a) *he final cou#let rhymes with the mile line of the last
three3line stan:a) *hus each of the seven #arts of ;2e to the ,est ,in< follows this schemeC 4B4 B=B =I=
I+I ++)
Commentary
*he wis#y, flui ter$a rima of ;2e to the ,est ,in< fins Shelley ta!in% a lon% thematic lea# beyon the sco#e
of ;5ymn to 9ntellectual Beauty,< an incor#oratin% his own art into his meitation on beauty an the natural
worl) Shelley invo!es the win ma%ically, escribin% its #ower an its role as both ;estroyer an #reserver,<
an as!s the win to swee# him out of his tor#or ;as a wave, a leaf, a clouG< 9n the fifth section, the #oet then
ta!es a remar!able turn, transformin% the win into a meta#hor for his own art, the ex#ressive ca#acity that
rives ;ea thou%hts< li!e ;withere leaves< over the universe, to ;/uic!en a new birth<"that is, to /uic!en the
comin% of the s#rin%) 5ere the s#rin% season is a meta#hor for a ;s#rin%< of human consciousness, ima%ination,
liberty, or morality"all the thin%s Shelley ho#e his art coul hel# to brin% about in the human min) Shelley as!s
the win to be his s#irit, an in the same movement he ma!es it his meta#horical s#irit, his #oetic faculty, which
will #lay him li!e a musical instrument, the way the win strums the leaves of the trees) *he thematic im#lication
is si%nificantC whereas the oler %eneration of 1omantic #oets viewe nature as a source of truth an authentic
ex#erience, the youn%er %eneration lar%ely viewe nature as a source of beauty an aesthetic ex#erience) 9n this
#oem, Shelley ex#licitly lin!s nature with art by finin% #owerful natural meta#hors with which to ex#ress his
ieas about the #ower, im#ort, /uality, an ultimate effect of aesthetic ex#ression)
What are the Poetic devices of ode to the west wind?
he West Wind is the object of the speaker's plea in this poem, the powerful force that could
deliver him from his inability to make himself heard or to communicate his ideas to others.
Blowing from the west suggests an association with the revolutionary, liberating aspects of
the young United States, or perhaps simply a favorable wind for ships returning home to
ports in urope. !ssociated with autumn, the West Wind brings with it decay and the
certainty of a wintry death, but it also makes a spring rebirth possible by clearing away the
old dead leaves and planting seeds.
"ine #$ %he West Wind is the object of an apostrophe at the beginning of this line.
%his is the first time, and by no means the last, that the speaker will apostrophi&e the
11
wind. 'n fact, you could say that this whole poem is one long apostrophe. (ou might
also notice the e)cessive alliteration in this line$ *+ wild West Wind* is a bit over the
top.
"ines ,-.$ %he West Wind is personified here as the charioteer of the *winged seeds*
that it carries to their dormant rest in the earth during the winter. Shelley will continue
to personify the wind throughout the poem, although it never becomes a fully-
developed character.
"ine #/$ %he West Wind is described as *0estroyer and 1reserver,* which some
scholars think is an allusion to the 2indu gods Siva and 3ishnu. "ine #/ also
introduces the refrain of *+de to the West Wind,* *+ hear4*, which appears at the end
of the first three cantos.
"ines #5-67$ %he West Wind becomes part of a comple) simile in these lines$ the
storm clouds spread across the *blue surface* of the wind are like a 89nad's locks
of hair. We know this is a simile and not a metaphor because the word *"ike*
appears at the beginning of line 6:.
Dead Leaves
0ead leaves are referenced no less than five times in this short lyric poem. 0ead leaves are
the remnants of the previous season which the wind clears away; they're also a
metaphorical representation of the pages of writing and poetry generated by the speaker, or
perhaps even the author. +nce ideas are put down on paper, they're printed on the *leaves*
of a book. !t that point, they seem to be declining.
"ines 6-,$ %he dead leaves are part of a complicated simile in these lines$ dead
leaves blown away by the wind are like ghosts running away from an enchanter.
When Shelley lists the colors of the leaves as *(ellow, and black, and pale, and
hectic red,* we detect an allusion to the <our 2orsemen of the !pocalypse. 't's
0eath, of course, who rides the pale horse.
"ine #=$ 2ere we learn that the clouds are *like arth's decaying leaves.* 'n the
previous simile, the leaves were the main focus and the simile created an image that
told us more about them; here, the clouds are the main focus and the leaves are
used as an image that tells us more about them.
"ines =/-==$ %he speaker compares his thoughts in a simile to *withered leaves,*
which is a pun on the two meanings of *leaves* - things that drop off trees, but also
the pages of a book. Since the speaker himself is a poet who describes his plea to
the West Wind as *the incantation of this verse* >=,?, the pun is even more obvious.
2owever, because this is a very formal poem with heightened diction, we'd prefer to
call this a *play on words* instead of a pun.

Funerals
!lthough there aren't any literal funerals in *+de to the West Wind,* there's plenty of funereal
imagery and symbolism. We've got dirges, corpses, the *dying year,* a sepulcher, and
ashes, just to name a few. +f course, they don't all come at once - they're spread throughout
the poem as parts of different metaphors and trains of images. %aken all together, though,
12
@they make us feel like this poem is a kind of elegy >or lament? just as much as it's an ode.
"ines ,-#6$ 'n an e)tended simile, Shelley compares seeds to corpses lying in their
graves. %his is also an allusion to the Ahristian imagery of the !pocalypse, in which a
*"ast %rumpet* is blown >here, the Spring blows a *clarion,* which is a kind of
trumpet? in order to resurrect the bodies of the dead >here, the corpses of the seeds,
which will come to life in the spring?. <or more on this, see *Buotes and %houghts*
under the theme *8ortality.*
"ines 67-65$ %his e)tended metaphor compares the West Wind to a dirge, the dying
year to the dead man in a funeral, and the night sky to the dome of a sepulchre.
%oward the end of the metaphor, Shelley's imagery breaks away from the strict
correspondences of the metaphor, and both the wind and the inside of the sepulchre
become stormy. 't's almost as though, when the storm breaks, when *Black rain and
fire and hail will burst,* the metaphor is broken down from inside.
"ines =,-=.$ %he poem becomes a spell, or *incantation,* by which the poet hopes to
make the West Wind scatter his words, which are metaphorically described as
*CaDshes and sparks.* Some of the words have the power to light new metaphorical
*fires* under other poets and thinkers, while others are already *dead.*
The olian Harp
%he 9olian harp was a common parlor instrument in the nineteenth century. Sort of like a
wind chime, the 9olian harp >or *9olian lyre* or *wind harp*? was meant to be left in a windy
spot, perhaps a window, so that the wind could play its own natural tunes on the instrument.
<or Eomantic poets like Shelley, Feats, Aoleridge, and Wordsworth, the 9olian harp came
to represent the way that the individual poet could turn himself into an instrument that
e)pressed something more universal about the natural world. 'n *+de to the West Wind,*
Shelley's speaker begs the West Wind to treat him as its lyre or trumpet or other instrument.
"ines ,.-,5$ %he speaker apostrophi&es the West Wind, asking it to make him into a
lyre. 2e actually wants to be turned into a passive instrument or object.
"ines ,@-=#$ 0escribing the *music* that the West Wind will draw from him as its
instrument, the speaker characteri&es its *harmonies* as in *tumult,* a powerful
parado).

Bodies of Water
!lthough *+de to the West Wind* is mostly about, well, the wind, the middle of the poem
moves away from the airy bree&es and considers a different element$ water. %his slippage
starts to happen in Aanto '', where the wind is described as having a *stream* >#,? and a
*blue surface* >#@?, which makes it sound like a body of water. We're also reminded that the
clouds being carried by the wind came originally from the water that evaporated from the
ocean and that they'll rain back down into it. 'n the ne)t canto, we learn how the wind wakes
the 8editerranean Sea from his *summer dreams* >6@? and chops up the surface of the
13
!tlantic +cean. %he water almost washes away the wind for a moment there - but the poem
reminds us that the West Wind is always stronger than the calm, passive seas.
"ines #,-#.$ %hese lines combine intense imagery of the natural world with a
comple) e)tended metaphor. 'n the metaphor, *decaying leaves* falling from *tangled
boughs* onto the earth are compared to the clouds that come from *2eaven and
+cean.* 'n other words, the combination of 2eaven, the sky with the sun in it, and
+cean, causes water to evaporate into the sky and form clouds. %hese clouds then
float on the *stream* of the West Wind the way dead leaves float in a real stream.
"ine 65$ 2ere the water that has evaporated from the ocean rains back down. %o
emphasi&e the violence and power of the storm, Shelley uses ten one-syllable words
in this line, creating a strong, harsh sound as is read aloud.
"ines 6@-7:$ %he 8editerranean Sea is personified here as a dreaming man, whom
the wind can *waken* from *his summer dreams* >6@?.
"ines 7.-/#$ 'n three of these lines, the verb is placed at the end of the line. %his
creates an enjambment that drives the reader from one line to the ne)t; this is rather
like what's actually happening at this point in the poem$ the !tlantic is splitting itself
into *chasms* for the West Wind.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------
Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" is an example of an apostrophe
because A. the author holds a one-way conversation with an object that
cannot answer him. . the first words of the poem include many of the
same words that are in the title. !. his first stan"a immediately addresses
the underlyin# motif of his poem. $. the lan#ua#e he uses is an
abbreviated form of formal %n#lish J
14
The West Wind
Symbol 4nalysis
*he ,est ,in is the obBect of the s#ea!er$s #lea in this #oem, the #owerful force that coul
eliver him from his inability to ma!e himself hear or to communicate his ieas to others)
Blowin% from the west su%%ests an association with the revolutionary, liberatin% as#ects of the
youn% Enite States, or #erha#s sim#ly a favorable win for shi#s returnin% home to #orts in
+uro#e) 4ssociate with autumn, the ,est ,in brin%s with it ecay an the certainty of a wintry
eath, but it also ma!es a s#rin% rebirth #ossible by clearin% away the ol ea leaves an
#lantin% sees)
7ine 1C *he ,est ,in is the obBect of an a#ostro#he at the be%innin% of this line) *his is
the first time, an by no means the last, that the s#ea!er will a#ostro#hi:e the win) 9n
fact, you coul say that this whole #oem is one lon% a#ostro#he) Kou mi%ht also notice
the excessive alliteration in this lineC L2 wil ,est ,inL is a bit over the to#)
7ines 537C *he ,est ,in is #ersonifie here as the charioteer of the Lwin%e seesL that
it carries to their ormant rest in the earth urin% the winter) Shelley will continue to
#ersonify the win throu%hout the #oem, althou%h it never becomes a fully3evelo#e
character)
7ine 14C *he ,est ,in is escribe as LIestroyer an Preserver,L which some scholars
thin! is an allusion to the 5inu %os Siva an Dishnu) 7ine 14 also introuces the refrain
of L2e to the ,est ,in,L L2 hearGL, which a##ears at the en of the first three cantos)
7ines 1&323C *he ,est ,in becomes #art of a com#lex simile in these linesC the storm
clous s#rea across the Lblue surfaceL of the win are li!e a 8Mna$s loc!s of hair) ,e
!now this is a simile an not a meta#hor because the wor L7i!eL a##ears at the
be%innin% of line 2')
Dead Leaves
Symbol 4nalysis
Iea leaves are reference no less than five times in this short lyric #oem) Iea leaves are the
remnants of the #revious season which the win clears away. they$re also a meta#horical
re#resentation of the #a%es of writin% an #oetry %enerate by the s#ea!er, or #erha#s even the
author) 2nce ieas are #ut own on #a#er, they$re #rinte on the LleavesL of a boo!) 4t that
#oint, they seem to be eclinin%)
7ines 235C *he ea leaves are #art of a com#licate simile in these linesC ea leaves
blown away by the win are li!e %hosts runnin% away from an enchanter)
7ine 1(C 5ere we learn that the clous are Lli!e +arth$s ecayin% leaves)L 9n the #revious
simile, the leaves were the main focus an the simile create an ima%e that tol us more
about them. here, the clous are the main focus an the leaves are use as an ima%e
that tells us more about them)
7ines (43((C *he s#ea!er com#ares his thou%hts in a simile to Lwithere leaves,L which
is a #un on the two meanin%s of LleavesL N thin%s that ro# off trees, but also the #a%es
of a boo!) Since the s#ea!er himself is a #oet who escribes his #lea to the ,est ,in
as Lthe incantation of this verseL >(5A, the #un is even more obvious) 5owever, because
this is a very formal #oem with hei%htene iction, we$ #refer to call this a L#lay on
worsL instea of a #un)
15
Funerals
Symbol 4nalysis
4lthou%h there aren$t any literal funerals in L2e to the ,est ,in,L there$s #lenty of funereal
ima%ery an symbolism) ,e$ve %ot ir%es, cor#ses, the Lyin% year,L a se#ulcher, an ashes,
Bust to name a few) 2f course, they on$t all come at once N they$re s#rea throu%hout the #oem
as #arts of ifferent meta#hors an trains of ima%es) *a!en all to%ether, thou%h, 9they ma!e us
feel li!e this #oem is a !in of ele%y >or lamentA Bust as much as it$s an oe)
7ines 5312C 9n an extene simile, Shelley com#ares sees to cor#ses lyin% in their
%raves) *his is also an allusion to the =hristian ima%ery of the 4#ocaly#se, in which a
L7ast *rum#etL is blown >here, the S#rin% blows a Lclarion,L which is a !in of trum#etA in
orer to resurrect the boies of the ea >here, the cor#ses of the sees, which will come
to life in the s#rin%A) 0or more on this, see LOuotes an *hou%htsL uner the theme
L8ortality)L
7ines 2332&C *his extene meta#hor com#ares the ,est ,in to a ir%e, the yin% year
to the ea man in a funeral, an the ni%ht s!y to the ome of a se#ulchre) *owar the
en of the meta#hor, Shelley$s ima%ery brea!s away from the strict corres#onences of
the meta#hor, an both the win an the insie of the se#ulchre become stormy) 9t$s
almost as thou%h, when the storm brea!s, when LBlac! rain an fire an hail will burst,L
the meta#hor is bro!en own from insie)
7ines (53(7C *he #oem becomes a s#ell, or Lincantation,L by which the #oet ho#es to
ma!e the ,est ,in scatter his wors, which are meta#horically escribe as LPaQshes
an s#ar!s)L Some of the wors have the #ower to li%ht new meta#horical LfiresL uner
other #oets an thin!ers, while others are alreay Lea)L
Symbol 4nalysis
*he Molian har# was a common #arlor instrument in the nineteenth century) Sort of li!e a win
chime, the Molian har# >or LMolian lyreL or Lwin har#LA was meant to be left in a winy s#ot,
#erha#s a winow, so that the win coul #lay its own natural tunes on the instrument) 0or
1omantic #oets li!e Shelley, @eats, =oleri%e, an ,orsworth, the Molian har# came to
re#resent the way that the iniviual #oet coul turn himself into an instrument that ex#resse
somethin% more universal about the natural worl) 9n L2e to the ,est ,in,L Shelley$s s#ea!er
be%s the ,est ,in to treat him as its lyre or trum#et or other instrument)
7ines 5735&C *he s#ea!er a#ostro#hi:es the ,est ,in,
as!in% it to ma!e him into a lyre) 5e actually wants to be
turne into a #assive instrument or obBect)
7ines 593(1C Iescribin% the LmusicL that the ,est ,in
will raw from him as its instrument, the s#ea!er
characteri:es its LharmoniesL as in Ltumult,L a #owerful
#araox)
Bodies of Water
Symbol 4nalysis
1(
4lthou%h L2e to the ,est ,inL is mostly about, well, the win, the mile of the #oem moves
away from the airy bree:es an consiers a ifferent elementC water) *his sli##a%e starts to
ha##en in =anto 99, where the win is escribe as havin% a LstreamL >15A an a Lblue surfaceL
>19A, which ma!es it soun li!e a boy of water) ,e$re also remine that the clous bein%
carrie by the win came ori%inally from the water that eva#orate from the ocean an that they$ll
rain bac! own into it) 9n the next canto, we learn how the win wa!es the 8eiterranean Sea
from his Lsummer reamsL >29A an cho#s u# the surface of the 4tlantic 2cean) *he water
almost washes away the win for a moment there N but the #oem remins us that the ,est ,in
is always stron%er than the calm, #assive seas)
7ines 15317C *hese lines combine intense ima%ery of the natural worl with a com#lex
extene meta#hor) 9n the meta#hor, Lecayin% leavesL fallin% from Ltan%le bou%hsL
onto the earth are com#are to the clous that come from L5eaven an 2cean)L 9n other
wors, the combination of 5eaven, the s!y with the sun in it, an 2cean, causes water to
eva#orate into the s!y an form clous) *hese clous then float on the LstreamL of the
,est ,in the way ea leaves float in a real stream)
7ine 2&C 5ere the water that has eva#orate from the ocean rains bac! own) *o
em#hasi:e the violence an #ower of the storm, Shelley uses ten one3syllable wors in
this line, creatin% a stron%, harsh soun as is rea alou)
7ines 2933'C *he 8eiterranean Sea is #ersonifie here as a reamin% man, whom the
win can Lwa!enL from Lhis summer reamsL >29A)
7ines 37341C 9n three of these lines, the verb is #lace at the en of the line) *his creates
an enBambment that rives the reaer from one line to the next. this is rather li!e what$s
actually ha##enin% at this #oint in the #oemC the 4tlantic is s#littin% itself into LchasmsL for
the ,est ,in)
Ode to the West Wind Summary
*he s#ea!er of the #oem a##eals to the ,est ,in to infuse him with a new s#irit an a new
#ower to s#rea his ieas) 9n orer to invo!e the ,est ,in, he lists a series of thin%s the win
has one that illustrate its #owerC rivin% away the autumn leaves, #lacin% sees in the earth,
brin%in% thunerstorms an the cyclical LeathL of the natural worl, an stirrin% u# the seas an
oceans)
*he s#ea!er wishes that the win coul affect him the way it oes leaves an clous an waves)
Because it can$t, he as!s the win to #lay him li!e an instrument, brin%in% out his saness in its
17
own musical lament) 8aybe the win can even hel# him to sen his ieas all over the worl.
even if they$re not #owerful in their own ri%ht, his ieas mi%ht ins#ire others) *he sa music that
the win will #lay on him will become a #ro#hecy) *he ,est ,in of autumn brin%s on a col,
barren #erio of winter, but isn$t winter always followe by a s#rin%H
Ode to the West Wind Theme of Man and the Natural World
9n L2e to the ,est ,in,L 6ature is %raner an more #owerful than man can ho#e to be) *he
natural worl is es#ecially #owerful because it contains elements li!e the ,est ,in an the
S#rin% ,in, which can travel invisibly across the %lobe, affectin% every clou, leaf, an wave as
they %o) 8an may be able to increase his status by allowin% 6ature to channel itself throu%h him)
Ode to the West Wind Theme of Transformation
4s the s#ea!er of L2e to the ,est ,inL feels himself wanin% an ecayin%, he be%s the win
to use him as an instrument, inhabit him, istribute his ieas, or #ro#hesy throu%h his mouth) 5e
ho#es to transform himself by unitin% his own s#irit with the lar%er LS#iritL of the ,est ,in an
of 6ature itself)
Ode to the West Wind Theme of Mortality
*he ,est ,in in Shelley$s oe is e#icte as an autumnal win, #re#arin% the worl for winter)
4s a result, the #oem is fille with ima%es of eath an ecay, reminers of both natural an
human mortality) *he s#ea!er ho#es that the eath of one worl will be inevitably followe by a
new rebirth an a new s#rin%, but the #oem leaves this rebirth uncertain)
Ode to the West Wind Theme of Lanuae and !ommunication
4t the en of L2e to the ,est ,in,L the s#ea!er betrays his ee#est concernC the fate of his
ieas) 5e ho#es that his wors an thou%hts will be s#rea throu%hout the worl) 5e$s not sure
of the /uality of his thin!in%, but at least it can #rovie a startin% #oint for other thin!ers)