Percy Bysshe Shelley

Shelley presents a series of contradicts:

The archetypal passionate poet, he was intensely intellectual.
The enemy of the Augustan Age, he was very interested in the Classical world and
Classical poetry.
A famous atheist he two greatest heroes were Jesus and Socrates.
Shelley was a pacifist revolutionary. He believed in the destruction of the old
aristocratic order despite the fact that he was an aristocrat but believed that it
would ta!e several generations for people to learn the thin! in terms of e"uality.
#ercy $ysshe Shelley was born in 1792, into a wealthy Susse% family which eventually
attained minor noble ran!&the poet's grandfather, a wealthy businessman, received a
baronetcy in ()*+.
Timothy Shelley, the poet's father, was a Member of Parliament and a country
gentleman.
The young Shelley entered ,ton, a prestigious school for boys, at the age of (-.
.hile he was there, he discovered the wor!s of a philosopher named William Godwin,
which he consumed passionately and in which he became a fervent believer/ the young
man wholeheartedly embraced the ideals of liberty and e"uality espoused by the 0rench
1evolution, and devoted his considerable passion and persuasive power to convincing
others of the rightness of his beliefs.
,ntering 2%ford in ()(*, Shelley was e%pelled the following spring for his part in
authoring a pamphlet entitled The Necessity of Atheism
atheism being an outrageous idea in religiously conservative (3
th
4century ,ngland.
At the age of (3, Shelley eloped with Harriet Westbrook, the (+4year4old daughter of a
tavern !eeper, whom he married despite his inherent disli!e for the tavern.
5ot long after, he made the personal ac"uaintance of .illiam 6odwin in 7ondon, and
promptly fell in love with 6odwin's daughter 8ary .ollstonecraft, whom he was
eventually able to marry.
9n ()(+, the Shelleys travelled to Swit:erland to meet 7ord $yron, the most famous,
celebrated, and controversial poet of the era/ the two men became close friends.
After a time, they formed a circle of ,nglish e%patriates in #isa, travelling throughout
9taly/ during this time Shelley wrote most of his finest lyric poetry
(
, including the
immortal Ode
-
to the West Wind and To a Skylark.
9n ()--, Shelley drowned while sailing in a storm off the 9talian coast. He was -3 years
old.
(
a lyric poem presents the deep feelins and emotions of the poet rather than tellin a story or
presentin a witty obser!ation
-
ode a lyric poem that uses lofty, dignified language to address a person or thing
"omantics 2#$
Shelley belongs to the younger generation of ,nglish 1omantic poets, the generation that
came to prominence while William Wordsworth and Sam%el &aylor 'oleride were
settling into middle age.
.here the older generation was mar!ed by simple ideals and a re!erence for nat%re, the
poets of the younger generation came to be !nown for their sensuous aestheticism, their
e%plorations of intense passions, their political radicalism, and their tragically short lives.
4 Shelley died when he was 29, $yron when he was (), and ;eats when he was only 2)
years old.
To an e%tent, the intensity of feeling emphasi:ed by 1omanticism meant that the
movement was always associated with yo%th, and because $yron, ;eats, and Shelley
died young <and never had the opportunity to sin! into conservatism and complacency as
.ordsworth did=, they have attained iconic status as the representative tragic 1omantic
artists.
Shelley's life and his poetry certainly support such an understanding, but it is important
not to indulge in stereotypes to the e%tent that they obscure a poet's individual character.
Shelley's >oy, his magnanimity, his faith in humanity, and his optimism are uni"ue among
the 1omantics/ his e%pression of those feelings ma!es him one of the early (3th
Century's most significant writers in ,nglish.
Social 'onte*t
The pop%lation of ,ngland had almost do%bled between (??* and()@*.
#eople and goods were much more mobile.
A canal networ! had been built and the train networ! was beginning.
To be a revolutionary at the time was to demand that power be shared more e"ually.
1emember that until ()@* $ritish Ademocracy' was controlled by $#2+, of the adult
population. The ma>ority of men didn't get the vote until the ()+*s.
2ne of the conse"uences of these changes was that the poet could be less clear as to his
a%dience than he would have been in the ()
th
Century.
Shelley's poetry can sometimes seem self-absorbed or even narcissist but once reason is
the insecurity about who the listener really is.
9t also reflects the increasing importance placed on the indi!id%al.
General .nalysis
The central thematic concerns of Shelley's poetry are largely the same themes that
defined 1omanticism, especially among the younger ,nglish poets of Shelley's era:
beauty,
the passions,
nature,
political liberty,
creativity, and
the sanctity of the imagination.
.hat ma!es Shelley's treatment of these themes uni"ue
is his philosophical relationship to his sub>ect matter which was better developed
and articulated than that of any other 1omantic poet with the possible e%ception of
.ordsworth
and his temperament, which was e%traordinarily sensitive and responsive even for a
1omantic poet, and which possessed an e%traordinary capacity for >oy, love, and
hope.
Shelley fervently believed in the possibility of reali:ing an ideal of h%man happiness as
based on beauty, and his moments of dar!ness and despair <he had many, particularly in
boo!4length poems such as the monumental Queen Mab= almost always stem from his
disappointment at seeing that ideal sacrificed to human wea!ness.
Shelley's intense feelings about beauty and e%pression are documented in poems such as
Ode to the West Wind and To a Skylark, in which he invo!es metaphors from nature to
characteri:e his relationship to his art.
The center of his aesthetic philosophy can be found in his important essay A Defence of
Poetry, in which he argues that poetry brins abo%t moral ood.
#oetry, Shelley argues,
e%ercises and e%pands the imaination, and
the imagination is the source of sympathy, compassion, and lo!e,
which rest on the ability to pro>ect oneself into the position of another person.
He writes,
BA man, to be greatly good, must imagine intensely and comprehensively/ he must put
himself in the place of another and of many others. The pains and pleasures of his species
must become his own. The great instrument of moral good is the imagination/ and poetry
administers to the effect by acting upon the cause. #oetry enlarges the circumference of
the imagination by replenishing it with thoughts of ever new delight, which have the
power of attracting and assimilating to their own nature all other thoughts, and which
form new intervals and interstices whose void forever craves fresh food. #oetry
strengthens the faculty which is the organ of the moral nature of man, in the same manner
as e%ercise strengthens a limb.C
5o other ,nglish poet of the early (3
th
Century so emphasi:ed the connection between
bea%ty and oodness, or believed so avidly in the power of art's sensual pleasures to
impro!e society.
$yron's pose was one of amoral sensuousness, or of controversial rebelliousness/
;eats believed in beauty and aesthetics for their own sa!e.
$ut Shelley was able to believe that poetry ma!es people and society better/ his poetry is
suffused with this !ind of inspired moral optimism, which he hoped would affect his
readers sensuously, spiritually, and morally, all at the same time.

&o a Skylark
(
<June, ()-*=
Hail to thee, blithe SpiritD
$ird thou never wert,
That from hea!en
E
, or near it,
#ourest thy full heart
9n prof%se strains
F
of %npremeditated
+
art.
Higher still and higher
0rom the earth thou springest
7i!e a clo%d of fire
?
/
The blue deep thou wingest,
And singing still dost soar, and soaring ever singest. alliteration
9n the golden lightning
2f the sun!en sun, allitero4assonance
2'er which clouds are bright'ning,
Thou dost float and run,
7i!e an unbodied >oy whose race
)
is >ust begun.
The pale p%rple e!en
Melts aro%nd thy fliht
3
/
7i!e a star of hea!en
(*
9n the broad daylight
Thou art unseen, but yet 9 hear thy shrill delight
11
4
;een as are the arrows
2f that sil!er sphere
(-
alliteration
.hose intense lamp narrows
9n the white dawn clear
Gntil we hardly see we feel that it is there.
@
skylark a small songbird <la alondra=
E
hea!en the highest point of the s!y but also #lato's realm of ideal forms
F
prof%se strains lavish songs
+
%npremeditated spontaneous
?
clo%d of fire lit up by the low sun of evening
)
race rush, impetus
3
pale### fliht the soft colour of the evening s!y becomes lighter away from the actual body of the bird
(*
star of Hea!en the star is invisible in daylight but it is still there in the s!y
((
the skylark often flies so hih in the sky that/ altho%h its son can be heard/ the bird itself cannot
be seen
(-
sil!er sphere Henus, the bright morning star, whose light <Aarrows'= seems sharpest >ust before it
disappears in daylight
All the earth and air
.ith thy voice is loud,
As, when night is bare
(@
,
0rom one lonely cloud
The moon rains out her beams, and heaven is overflowed.
.hat thou art we !now not/
.hat is most li!e theeI
0rom rainbow clouds there flow not
Jrops so bright to see
As from thy presence showers a rain of melody.
7i!e a poet hidden
9n the light of thought, pararhyme
Singing hymns %nbidden
(E
, assonance
Till the world is wrought
To sympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not: alliteration
7i!e a high4born maiden
9n a palace tower,
Soothing her love4laden
Soul in secret hour
.ith music sweet as love, which overflows her bower
(F
:
7i!e a glow4worm golden alliteration and assonance
9n a dell
(+
of dew, alliteration
Scattering %nbeholden
(?
9ts aerial
()
hue
Among the flowers and grass, which screen it from the view:
7i!e a rose embowered
(3
9n its own green leaves,
$y warm winds deflowered
-*
,
Till the scent it gives
8a!es faint with too much sweet these heavy4winged thie!es
-(
:
Sound of !ernal
--
showers
2n the twin!ling grass,
(@
bare with no other clouds
(E
%nbidden not according to anyone's command, and probably not even obeying his own will
(F
bower the word is used for both a bedroom in a castle and a shaded sitting place in a garden
(+
dell small hollow
(?
%nbeholden from a hidden place/ or without obligation to anyone
()
aerial light and delicate
(3
embowered enclosed
-*
deflowered assaulted and robbed
-(
thie!es the winds, or possibly bees
--
!ernal spring, fresh
1ain4awa!ened flowers,
All that ever was
Joyous, and clear, and fresh, thy music doth surpass.
Teach us, sprite or bird,
.hat sweet thoughts are thine:
9 have never heard
#raise of love or wine
That panted forth a flood of rapt%re
-@
so divine. alliteration
Chorus hymeneal
20
2r tri%mphal
2+
chaunt
8atched with thine would be all
$ut an empty !a%nt
2)
4
A thing wherein we feel there is some hidden want
27
.
.hat ob>ects are the fountains
2f thy happy strainI
.hat fields, or waves, or mountainsI
.hat shapes of s!y or plainI
.hat love of thine own !indI what ignorance of painI
.ith thy clear !een 1oyance
-)
2an%or
-3
cannot be:
Shadow of annoyance
5ever came near thee: alliteraton
Thou lovest, but ne'er !new love's sad satiety
@*
. alliteration
.a!ing or asleep,
Thou of death must deem
@(
alliteration
Things more true and deep
Than we mortals dream,
2r how could thy notes flow in such a crystal streamI
.e loo! before and after,
And pine
@-
for what is not:
2ur sincerest laughter
-@
rapt%re passionate e%citement
-E
hymeneal celebrating marriage
-F
tri%mphal celebrating victory
-+
!a%nt boast
-?
want lac!
-)
1oyance feeling or state of gladness
-3
lan%or weariness
@*
satiety tired distaste <as if after over4indulging in food or drin!=
@(
deem >udge, consider
@-
pine waste away with longing
.ith some pain is fra%ht
@@
/ consonance
2ur sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.
Ket if we could scorn
Hate, and pride, and fear/
9f we were things born
5ot to shed a tear,
9 !now not how thy >oy we ever should come near.
$etter than all measures
2f delightful sound,
$etter than all treasures
That in boo!s are found,
Thy skill to poet were
(0
, thou scorner
(+
of the groundD
Teach me half the gladness
That thy brain must !now,
Such harmonio%s madness
@+
o%ymoron
0rom my lips would flow
The world should listen then, as 9 am listening nowD
@@
fra%ht filled, troubled
@E
skill to poet were as an e%ample or inspiration
@F
scorner the s!ylar! sings only when flying and is more a creature of the s!y than of the earth
@+
harmonio%s madness a very #latonic idea. Shelley's translation of #lato's 9on reads: BThe 8use,
communicating through those whom she has first inspired, to all others capable of sharing in the
inspiration, the influence of that first enthusiasm, creates a chain and a succession. 0or the authors of
those great poems which we admire, do not attain to e%cellence through the rules of any art, but they utter
their beautiful melodies of verse in a state of inspiration, and, as it were, possessed of a spirit not their
own... in a state of divine insanity.C
S%mmary
The spea!er, addressing a s!ylar!, says that it is a Bblithe SpiritC rather than a bird, for its
song comes from Heaven, and from its full heart pours Bprofuse strains of unpremeditated
art.C
The s!ylar! flies higher and higher, Bli!e a cloud of fireC in the blue s!y, singing as it
flies. 9n the Bgolden lightningC of the sun, it floats and runs, li!e Ban unbodied >oy.C As
the s!ylar! flies higher and higher, the spea!er loses sight of it, but is still able to hear its
Bshrill delight,C which comes down as !eenly as moonbeams in the Bwhite dawn,C which
can be felt even when they are not seen. The earth and air ring with the s!ylar!'s voice,
>ust as Heaven overflows with moonbeams when the moon shines out from behind Ba
lonely cloud.C
The spea!er says that no one !nows what the s!ylar! is, for it is uni"ue: even Brainbow
cloudsC do not rain as brightly as the shower of melody that pours from the s!ylar!. The
bird is Bli!e a poet hidden L 9n the light of thought,C able to ma!e the world e%perience
Bsympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not.C 9t is li!e a lonely maiden in a palace
tower, who uses her song to soothe her lovelorn soul. 9t is li!e a golden glow4worm,
scattering light among the flowers and grass in which it is hidden. 9t is li!e a rose
embowered in its own green leaves, whose scent is blown by the wind until the bees are
faint with Btoo much sweet.C The s!ylar!'s song surpasses Ball that ever was, L Joyous
and clear and fresh,C whether the rain falling on the Btwin!ling grassC or the flowers the
rain awa!ens.
Calling the s!ylar! BSprite or $ird,C the spea!er as!s it to tell him its Bsweet thoughts,C
for he has never heard anyone or anything call up Ba flood of rapture so divine.C
Compared to the s!ylar!'s, any music would seem lac!ing. .hat ob>ects, the spea!er
as!s, are Bthe fountains of thy happy strainIC 9s it fields, waves, mountains, the s!y, the
plain, or Blove of thine own !indC or Bignorance or painCI #ain and languor, the spea!er
says, Bnever came nearC the s!ylar!: it loves, but has never !nown Blove's sad satiety.C
2f death, the s!ylar! must !now Bthings more true and deepC than mortals could dream/
otherwise, the spea!er as!s, Bhow could thy notes flow in such a crystal streamIC
0or mortals, the e%perience of happiness is bound ine%tricably with the e%perience of
sadness: dwelling upon memories and hopes for the future, mortal men Bpine for what is
notC/ their laughter is BfraughtC with Bsome painC/ their Bsweetest songs are those that tell
of saddest thought.C $ut, the spea!er says, even if men could Bscorn L Hate and pride and
fear,C and were born without the capacity to weep, he still does not !now how they could
ever appro%imate the >oy e%pressed by the s!ylar!. Calling the bird a Bscorner of the
ground,C he says that its music is better than all music and all poetry. He as!s the bird to
teach him Bhalf the gladness L That thy brain must !now,C for then he would overflow
with Bharmonious madness,C and his song would be so beautiful that the world would
listen to him, even as he is now listening to the s!ylar!.
3orm
The eccentric, songli!e, five4line stan:as of To a Skylark all -( of them follow the
same pattern:
the first four lines are metered in trochaic trimeter, the fifth in iambic he*ameter <a
line which can also be called an .le*andrine=.
The rhyme scheme of each stan:a is e%tremely simple: .B.BB.
'ommentary
9f the West Wind was Shelley's first convincing attempt to articulate an aesthetic
philosophy through metaphors of nature, the s!ylar! is his greatest natural metaphor for
pure poetic e%pression, the Bharmonious madnessC of pure inspiration. The s!ylar!'s song
issues from a state of purified e%istence, a .ordsworthian notion of complete unity with
Heaven through nature/ its song is motivated by the >oy of that uncomplicated purity of
being, and is unmi%ed with any hint of melancholy or of the bittersweet, as human >oy so
often is. The s!ylar!'s unimpeded song rains down upon the world, surpassing every
other beauty, inspiring metaphor and ma!ing the spea!er believe that the bird is not a
mortal bird at all, but a BSpirit,C a Bsprite,C a Bpoet hidden L 9n the light of thought.C
9n that sense, the s!ylar! is almost an e%act twin of the bird in ;eats's Ode to a
NihtinaleC/ both represent pure e%pression through their songs, and li!e the s!ylar!, the
nightingale Bwast not born for death.C $ut while the nightingale is a bird of dar!ness,
invisible in the shadowy forest glades, the s!ylar! is a bird of daylight, invisible in the
deep bright blue of the s!y. The nightingale inspires ;eats to feel Ba drowsy numbnessC
of happiness that is also li!e pain, and that ma!es him thin! of death/ the s!ylar! inspires
Shelley to feel a frantic, rapturous >oy that has no part of pain. To ;eats, human >oy and
sadness are ine%tricably lin!ed, as he e%plains at length in the final stan:a of the Ode on
Melancholy.C $ut the s!ylar! sings free of all human error and comple%ity, and while
listening to his song, the poet feels free of those things, too.
Structurally and linguistically, this poem is almost uni"ue among Shelley's wor!s/ its
strange form of stan:a, with four compact lines and one very long line, and its lilting,
songli!e diction <Bprofuse strains of unpremeditated artC= wor! to create the effect of
spontaneous poetic e%pression flowing musically and naturally from the poet's mind.
Structurally, each stan4a tends to ma!e a sinle/ 5%ick point about the s!ylar!, or to
loo! at it in a sudden, brief new light/ still, the poem does flow, and gradually advances
the mini4narrative of the spea!er watching the s!ylar! flying higher and higher into the
s!y, and envying its untrammeled inspiration&which, if he were to capture it in words,
would cause the world to listen.
6de to the West Wind
S%mmary
The spea!er invo!es the Bwild .est .indC of autumn, which scatters the dead leaves and
spreads seeds so that they may be nurtured by the spring, and as!s that the wind, a
Bdestroyer and preserverC, hear him. The spea!er calls the wind the Bdirge L 2f the dying
yearC, and describes how it stirs up violent storms, and again implores it to hear him. The
spea!er says that the wind stirs the 8editerranean from Bhis summer dreams,C and
cleaves the Atlantic into choppy chasms, ma!ing the Bsapless foliageC of the ocean
tremble, and as!s for a third time that it hear him.
The spea!er says that if he were a dead leaf that the wind could bear, or a cloud it could
carry, or a wave it could push, or even if he were, as a boy, Bthe comradeC of the wind's
Bwandering over heavenC, then he would never have needed to pray to the wind and
invo!e its powers. He pleads with the wind to lift him Bas a wave, a leaf, a cloudDC for
though he is li!e the wind at heart, untamable and proud he is now chained and bowed
with the weight of his hours upon the earth.
The spea!er as!s the wind to Bma!e me thy lyreC, to be his own Spirit, and to drive his
thoughts across the universe, Bli!e withered leaves, to "uic!en a new birthC. He as!s the
wind, by the incantation of this verse, to scatter his words among man!ind, to be the
Btrumpet of a prophecyC. Spea!ing both in regard to the season and in regard to the effect
upon man!ind that he hopes his words to have, the spea!er as!s: B9f winter comes, can
spring be far behindIC
3orm
,ach of the seven parts of B2de to the .est .indC contains five stan:as four three4line
stan:as and a two4line couplet, all metered in iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme in
each part follows a pattern !nown as ter!a rima, the three4line rhyme scheme employed
by Jante in his Di"ine #omedy$ 9n the three4line ter!a rima stan:a, the first and third
lines rhyme, and the middle line does not/ then the end sound of that middle line is
employed as the rhyme for the first and third lines in the ne%t stan:a. The final couplet
rhymes with the middle line of the last three4line stan:a. Thus each of the seven parts of
B2de to the .est .indC follows this scheme: A$A $C$ CJC J,J ,,.
'ommentary
The wispy, fluid ter:a rima of B2de to the .est .indC finds Shelley incorporating his
own art into his meditation on beauty and the natural world. Shelley invo!es the wind
magically, describing its power and its role as both Bdestroyer and preserverC, and as!s
the wind to sweep him out of his torpor Bas a wave, a leaf, a cloudDC
9n the fifth section, the poet then ta!es a remar!able turn, transforming the wind
into a metaphor for his own art, the e%pressive capacity that drives Bdead thoughtsC li!e
Bwithered leavesC over the universe, to B"uic!en a new birthC that is, to "uic!en the
coming of the spring. Here the spring season is a metaphor for a Aspring' of human
consciousness, imagination, liberty, or morality all the things Shelley hoped his art
could help to bring about in the human mind. Shelley as!s the wind to be his spirit, and in
the same movement he ma!es it his metaphorical spirit, his poetic faculty, which will
play him li!e a musical instrument, the way the wind strums the leaves of the trees.
The thematic implication is significant: whereas the older generation of 1omantic
poets viewed nature as a source of truth and authentic e%perience, the younger generation
largely viewed nature as a source of beauty and aesthetic e%perience. 9n this poem,
Shelley e%plicitly lin!s nature with art by finding powerful natural metaphors with which
to e%press his ideas about the power, import, "uality, and ultimate effect of aesthetic
e%pression.
&he West Wind
Shelley uses the .est .ind to symboli:e the power of nature and of the imagination
inspired by nature. The .est .ind is active and dynamic in poems, such as B2de to the
.est .indC. The .est .ind is an agent for change. ,ven as it destroys, the wind
encourages new life on earth and social progress among humanity.
&hemes
The Heroic, Visionary Role of the Poet
9n Shelley's poetry, the figure of the poet <and, to some e%tent, the figure of Shelley
himself= is not simply a talented entertainer or even a perceptive moralist but a grand,
tragic, prophetic hero. The poet has a deep, mystic appreciation for nature, as in the poem
BTo .ordsworthC <()(+=, and this intense connection with the natural world gives him
access to profound cosmic truths, as in BAlastor/ or, The Spirit of SolitudeC <()(+=. He
has the power&and the duty&to translate these truths, through the use of his
imagination, into poetry, but only a !ind of poetry that the public can understand. Thus,
his poetry becomes a !ind of prophecy, and through his words, a poet has the ability to
change the world for the better and to bring about political, social, and spiritual change.
Shelley's poet is a near4divine savior, comparable to #rometheus, who stole divine
fire and gave it to humans in 6ree! mythology, and to Christ. 7i!e #rometheus and
Christ, figures of the poets in Shelley's wor! are often doomed to suffer: because their
visionary power isolates them from other men, because they are misunderstood by critics,
because they are persecuted by a tyrannical government, or because they are suffocated
by conventional religion and middle4class values. 9n the end, however, the poet triumphs
because his art is immortal, outlasting the tyranny of government, religion, and society
and living on to inspire new generations.
The Power of Nature
7i!e many of the romantic poets, especially .illiam .ordsworth, Shelley demonstrates a
great reverence for the beauty of nature, and he feels closely connected to nature's power.
9n his early poetry, Shelley shares the romantic interest in pantheism&the belief that
6od, or a divine, unifying spirit, runs through everything in the universe. He refers to this
unifying natural force in many poems, describing it as the Bspirit of beautyC in BHymn to
9ntellectual $eautyC and identifying it with 8ont $lanc and the Arve 1iver in B8ont
$lanc.C This force is the cause of all human >oy, faith, goodness, and pleasure, and it is
also the source of poetic inspiration and divine truth. Shelley asserts several times that
this force can influence people to change the world for the better.
However, Shelley simultaneously recogni:es that nature's power is not wholly
positive. 5ature destroys as often as it inspires or creates, and it destroys cruelly and
indiscriminately. 0or this reason, Shelley's delight in nature is mitigated by an awareness
of its dar! side.
The Power of the Human Mind
Shelley uses nature as his primary source of poetic inspiration. 9n such poems as B2de to
the .est .indC, Shelley suggests that the natural world holds a sublime power over his
imagination. This power seems to come from a stranger, more mystical place than simply
his appreciation for nature's beauty or grandeur. At the same time, although nature has
creative power over Shelley because it provides inspiration, he feels that his imagination
has creative power over nature. 9t is the imagination or our ability to form sensory
perceptions that allows us to describe nature in different, original ways, which help to
shape how nature appears and, therefore, how it e%ists. Thus, the power of the human
mind becomes e"ual to the power of nature, and the e%perience of beauty in the natural
world becomes a !ind of collaboration between the perceiver and the perceived. $ecause
Shelley cannot be sure that the sublime powers he senses in nature are only the result of
his gifted imagination, he finds it difficult to attribute nature's power to 6od: the human
role in shaping nature damages Shelley's ability to believe that nature's beauty comes
solely from a divine source.
Irresistible Power
The poet desires the irresistible power of the wind to scatter the words he has written
about his ideals and causes, one of which was opposition to $ritain's monarchical
government as a form of tyranny. $elieving firmly in democracy and individual rights, he
supported movements to reform government.
6de to the West Wind
7
2 w ild L West W ind
@?
, L thou breath
(8
Lof AuLtumn's being, alliteration, apostrophe
(9
Thou, from L whose unLseen preLsence the L leaves dead anastrophe
0$
Are driLven, li!e L ghosts from Lan enL chanLter
E(
fleeing, anastrophe, simile
KelLlow, and blac!, L and pale, Land hecLtic
E-
red,
0(
#estiLlence4stricL!en mulLtitudes:
00
L 2 thou,
.ho chaLriotest
EF
L to their L dar! winLtry bed
The w inLgMd seeds
0)
, L wh ere they Llie c o ld Land low, alliteration, assonance
,ach li!e L a corpse
07
Lwithin L its grave, L until simile
Thine aL4%re
E)
s isLter
E3
of L the S pring L shall blow alliteration
Her claLrion
F*
o'er Lthe dreaLming earth, L and fill
<Jriving L sweet buds L li!e f loc!s
+1
L to f ee d L in air= alliteration, assonance, simile
.ith liL!in h%es
F-
L and oLdors plain L and hill: anastrophe
.ild SpiLrit, wh ich L art moLving
F@
eLv'rywh ere/ alliteration
JestroyLer and L preserLver
+0
/ hear, L oh, hearD parado%
@?
West Wind the prevailing wind for much of the year in western ,urope and, because it comes from the
Atlantic, it tends to be mild. 9n the autumn, however, the west wind can be violent. The capital letters re4
enforce the apostrophe.
@)
in the 7ndo-9%ropean lan%aes there is a stron connection between words for :wind;/ :spirit;/
inspiration;/ :breath; and :so%l;
@3
<or :personification;= thro%ho%t the poem/ the poet addresses the west wind as if it were a person
E*
the in!ersion of normal word order
E(
enchanter sorcerer but literally a Asinger of magic spells' <cf. incantation=
E-
hectic fevered <the high colour associated with wasting diseases=
E@
&he colo%rs may refer to the different skin-colo%rs of h%manity# .lternati!ely/ the lea!es may look
like they ha!e died of infectio%s diseases#
EE
it has been commented that the combination of short !owel so%nds >?>/ >e>/ >i>/ >@> and >A> toether
with the repeated >k> reflects the t%rb%lence of the loose lea!es
EF
chariotest carry <in a chariot=
E+
referrin to airborne seeds
E?
like a corpse b%t not a corpse B in s%spended animation in the earth
E)
a4%re clear blue of a cloudless s!y
E3
a different/ entler/ more material aspect of the west wind
F*
clarion trumpet used for summoning people
F(
the simile s%ests that the new b%ds are bein shephered to past%res after the winter
F-
li!in h%es vivid colours <after the drabness of winter=
F@
:mo!in; implies that the wind is not 1%st present b%t is acti!ely workin in e!erythin
FE
in Hind% mytholoy/ the three principal deities are Si!a the Cestroyer/ Brahma the 'reator/ and
Dishn% the Preser!er <whose name means :the one who works e!erywhere;= B cf# &#S# 9liot;s The
Wasteland
77
Thou on L whose stream
FF
, L 'm id the L steep
F+
s!y's L comm otion, alliteration
7oose clouds L li!e earth's L decayLing leaves L are shed
F?
,
F)
Shoo! from L the tanLgled boughs L of Heaven L and 2cean,
+9
.nels
+*
L of rain L and lightLning: there L are spread
2n the L blue surLface of L thine aeLry surge,
7i!e the L bright hair L uplifLted from L the head
2f some L fierce MaeLnad
+(
, eLven from L the dim !ere
+-)(
2f the L horiL:on to L the 4eLnith
+E
's height,
The locks
+F
L of the L approaLching storm. L Thou dire
++
2f the L dying year, L to which L this cloLsin niht
+?
.ill be L the dome L of a L vast seLpulchre,
Da%lted
+)
L with all Lthy conLreaLted
+3
might
2f vaLpours
7$
, from Lwhose soLlid atLmosphere
$lac! rain, L and fire, L and hail L will burst: oh, hearD
The poet says the west wind drives clouds along just as it does dead leaves after it shakes the
clouds free of the sky and the oceans. These clouds erupt with rain and lightning. Against the sky,
the lightning appears as a bright shaft of hair from the head of a Mnad. The poet compares the
west wind to a funeral song sung at the death of a year and says the night will become a dome
erected over the year's tomb with all of the wind's gathered might. rom that dome will come
black rain, fire, and hail. Again the poet asks the west wind to continue to listen to what he has to
say.
FF
stream flow of the wind
F+
steep high <suggesting the abrupt and spacious movements of cloud and air=
F?
shed scattered, sha!en off
F)
the repetition of >m> and >l> creates a dream-like 5%ality
F3
clo%ds created by the e!aporation of the sea are partly air and partly water# Shelley may be
referrin to the water-spo%ts which he had certainly seen in this area and which he described as
:black tr%nks;# &he :bo%hs; contin%es the eneral imae of trees and lea!es from stan4a one#
+*
.nels messengers, heralds
+(
M?nad wildly emotional woman who too! part in the orgies of Jionysus, the 6ree! god of wine,
revelry and vegetation.
+-
dim !ere the s!y at the hori:on is dar! with storm clouds
+@
this is an e*ample of :catale*is; an iambic pentameter with an e*tra syllable on the end
+E
4enith the highest point in the s!y
+F
locks strands of hair. The cloud formation cirrus ta!es its name from the 7Atin word for curls.
++
dire funeral song
+?
closin niht the clouds are thic!ening and dar!ness is advancing
+)
!a%lted forming a curved roof
+3
conreated gathered, mustered
?*
the clo%ds are now so dense that the sky appears solid# &he power of the wind is concentrated to
an %ltimate press%re before the storm e*plodes#
777
Thou who L didst waL!en from L his sumLmer dreams
The blue L 8ediLterraLnean, where L he lay,
7ulled by L the coil L of his L crystNlLline
71
streams
?-
,
7(
$eside L a puLmice isle Lin $aiLae's bay
70
,
And saw L in sleep
?F
old paLlaces L and towers
Ouiv'ring L within Lthe wave's L intenLser
?+
day
77
,
All oLvergrown L with aL:ure moss L and flowers
?)
So sweet, L the sense L faints picLt%rin them
?3
D Thou
0or whose L path the L AtlanLtic
8$
's leL!el powers
)(
'lea!e
)-
themLsel!es inLto chasms
)@
, L while far Lbelow
The sea4Lblooms and L the ooL4y woods
)E
L which wear
The sapLless foLliage of L the oLcean, !now
Thy voice, L and sudLdenly L grow gray L with fear, alliteration
And tremLble and L despoil
)F
L themselves:
8)
L oh, hearD
At the beginning of autumn, the west wind woke the Mediterranean !ea"lulled by the sound of
the clear streams flowing into it"from summer slumber near an island formed from hardened
lava in a bay at #aiae. $hile sleeping at this locale, the Mediterranean saw old palaces and
towers that had collapsed into the sea during an earth%uake and became overgrown with moss
and flowers. To create a path for the west wind, the powers of the mighty Atlantic &cean divide
themselves and flow through chasms. 'eep beneath the ocean surface, flowers and foliage, upon
hearing the west wind, %uake in fear and despoil themselves.
?(
the accent o!er the a in crystlline shifts the stress to the second syllable/ makin crystl an iamb
?-
2%lled#### streams soothed, almost hypnoti:ed, by the slow turning of the clear currents in the water
?@
aain/ the repetition of >m> and >l> creates a dream-like 5%ality
?E
Baiae <7talian/ Baia= 1)km west of Eaples/ called .5%a '%manae by ancient "omans# 7ts
fa!o%rable climate attracted !acationin "oman dinitaries to the city/ incl%din F%li%s 'aesar and
Eero/ who constr%cted !illas there# Shelley wo%ld ha!e seen these palaces as symbols of corr%pt
aristocratic power#
?F
in sleep unmoving and loc!ed as if in a dream
?+
intenser magnifying because of the combination of strong sunlight and clear water
??
!olcanic er%ptions pl%ned part of "oman Baiae into the sea/ as all%ded to in these two lines
?)
a4%re moss and flowers the weeds growing underwater are given a magical "uality by the water and
the sun light
?3
the sense faints pict%rin them the eye loses its focus because the image in the water !eeps subtly
changing
)*
possibly Shelley had in mind the re!ol%tion which had taken place in .merica/ whose effects co%ld
be felt in 9%rope
)(
le!el powers flat waves
)-
clea!e divide
)@
clea!e themsel!es into chasms brea! into deep waves
)E
oo4y woods the tall slimy seaweeds growing on the seabed
)F
despoil tear off their leaves <in fear=. 5otice how the leaf image is used in all three opening stan:as
)+
in a%t%mn/ ocean plants decay like land plants
7D
9f 9 L were a L dead leaf L thou mighLtest bear/
9f 9 L were a L swift cloud L to fly L with thee/
A wave L to pant L beneath L thy power, L and share
The imLpulse of L thy strength, L only L less free
Than thou, L 2 unLcontrolLlableD L 9f even
9 were L as in Lmy boyLhood, and L could be
The comLrade of L thy wanLderings oLver Heaven,
As then, L when to L outstrip Lthy s!iLey
87
speed
Scarce seemed L a viLsion/ 9 L would ne'er L have striven
As thus L with thee L in prayer L in my L sore need. alliteration
2h, lift L me as L a wave, L a leaf, L a cloudD consonance
9 fall L upon L the thorns L of lifeD L 9 bleedD assonance
A heaLvy weiht L of ho%rs
))
L has chained L and bowed
2ne too L li!e thee: L tameless, L and swift, L and proud.
The poet says that if he were a dead leaf (like the ones in the first stan)a* or a cloud (like the
ones in the second stan)a* or an ocean wave that rides the power of the Atlantic but is less free
than the uncontrollable west wind"or if even he were as strong and vigorous as he was when he
was a boy and could accompany the wandering wind in the heavens and could only dream of
travelling faster"well, then, he would never have prayed to the west wind as he is doing now in
his hour of need.
.......+eferring again to imagery in the first three stan)as, the poet asks the wind to lift him as it
would a wave, a leaf, or a cloud, for here on earth he is e-periencing troubles that prick him like
thorns and cause him to bleed. .e is now carrying a heavy burden that"though he is proud and
tameless and swift like the west wind"has immobili)ed him in chains and bowed him down.
)?
:skiey; is a neoloism in!ented to maintain the iambic pentameter
))
weiht of ho%rs time, dull habit
D
8a!e me L thy lyre
)3
, L even L as the L forest is:
.hat if L my leaves
9$
L are falLling li!e L its ownD
The tuLmult of L thy mighLty harLmonies
.ill ta!e L from both
3(
L a deep, L autumLnal tone, alliteration/ assonance
Sweet though L in sadLness. $e L thou, SpiLrit fierce, alliteration
8y spiLritD $e L thou me, L impeLtuous oneD assonance
C rive my L d ead tho%hts
3-
L over L the uLniverse alliteration
7i!e wiLthered leaves L to 5%icLken
3@
a L new birthD simile
And, by L the inLcantaLtion
3E
of L this verse,
Scatter, L as from L an %nLe*tinL%ished hearth
3F
simile/ eye rhyme
Ashes L and spar!s, L my words
9)
L among L man!indD
$e through L my lips
97
L to unLawaL!ened earth
98
The trumLpet of L a proLphecy
33
D L 2 .ind,
9f .inLter comes, L can Spring L be far L behindI wind4behind: eye rhyme
The poet asks the west wind to turn him into a lyre (a stringed instrument* in the same way that
the west wind's mighty currents turn the forest into a lyre. And if the poet's leaves blow in the wind
like those from the forest trees, there will be heard a deep autumnal tone that is both sweet and
sad. #e /my spirit,/ the poet implores the wind. /#e thou me/ and drive my dead thoughts (like the
dead leaves* across the universe in order to prepare the way for new birth in the spring. The poet
asks the wind to scatter his words around the world, as if they were ashes from a burning fire. To
the unawakened earth, they will become blasts from a trumpet of prophecy. 0n other words, the
poet wants the wind to help him disseminate his views on politics, philosophy, literature, and so
on. The poet is encouraged that, although winter will soon arrive, spring and rebirth will follow it.
)3
lyre the aeolian harp was placed on a hillside and made musical sounds as the wind blew through it.
Shelley discusses this image of the poet and inspiration at the beginning of his Defence of Poetry.
3*
his hair is rowin thin
3(
both <in this conte%t= Shelley <thy lyre= and the forest
3-
dead tho%hts previously written but unsuccessful poems
3@
5%icken stimulate, give life to
3E
incantation ritual recitation <with the suggestion of a magic charm=
3F
%ne*tin%ished hearth fire which is still alive <the negative suggesting an obstinate defiance=
3+
he may ha!e had in mind Prometheus nbound/ his !isionary poem abo%t man;s condition
3?
Shelley is simply a medi%m thro%h which inspiration is re!ealed
3)
like the earth in winter in stan4a one <line 1$=/ the world of men is asleep and inorant of f%t%re
possibilities
33
tr%mpet of prophecy announcement of a new era. Shelley may intend an echo of the trumpet in the
$ible, which signals the beginning of Christ's rule on earth.
&o a Skylark
1$$
<June, ()-*=
Hail to L thee, blithe L SpiritD
$ird thou L never L wert,
That from L hea!en
(*(
, or L near it,
#ourest thy full heart
9n proLf%se strains
(*-
L of %nLpremeLditaLted
(*@
art.
Higher L still and L higher
0rom the L earth thou L springest
7i!e a L clo%d of L fire
(*E
/
The blue L deep thou L wingest,
And sinLging still L dost soar, Land soaLring eLver singest. alliteration
9n the L golden L lightning
2f the L sun!en L sun, allitero4assonance
2'er which L clouds are L bright'ning,
Thou dost Lfloat and L run,
7i!e an L unboLdied >oy L whose race
(*F
L is >ust L begun.
The pale L p%rple L e!en alliteration
Melts aLro%nd thy L fliht
(*+
/
7i!e a L star of L hea!en
(*?

9n the L broad dayLlight
Thou art L unseen, L but yet L 9 hear L thy shrill L delight
1$8
4
;een as L are the L arrows
2f that L sil!er L sphere
(*3
alliteration
.hose inLtense lamp Lnarrows
9n the L white dawn L clear
Gntil L we hardLly see L we feel L that it L is there.
(**
skylark a small songbird <la alondra=
(*(
hea!en the highest point of the s!y but also #lato's realm of ideal forms
(*-
prof%se strains lavish songs
(*@
%npremeditated spontaneous
(*E
clo%d of fire lit up by the low sun of evening
(*F
race rush, impetus
(*+
pale### fliht the soft colour of the evening s!y becomes lighter away from the actual body of the bird
(*?
star of Hea!en the star is invisible in daylight but it is still there in the s!y
(*)
the skylark often flies so hih in the sky that/ altho%h its son can be heard/ the bird itself cannot
be seen
(*3
sil!er sphere Henus, the bright morning star, whose light <Aarrows'= seems sharpest >ust before it
disappears in daylight
All the L earth and L air
.ith thy L voice is L loud,
As, when L night is L bare
((*
,
0rom one L lonely L cloud
The moon L rains out L her beams, L and heaven L is oLverflowed.
.hat thou > art we >!now not/
.hat is >most li!e > theeI
0rom rain>bow clouds > there flow > not
Jrops so > bright to > see
As from > thy pre>sence showers > a rain > of me>lody.
7i!e a L poet L hidden
9n the L light of L thought, pararhyme
Singing L hymns %nLbidden
(((
, assonance
Till the L world is L wrought
To symLpathy L with hopes Land fears L it heedLed not: alliteration
7i!e a L high4born L maiden
9n a L palace L tower,
Soothing L her love4Lladen
Soul in L secret L hour alliteration
.ith muLsic sweet L as love, L which oLverflows L her bower
((-
:
7i!e a L glow4worm L golden alliteration and assonance
9n a L dell
((@
of L dew, alliteration
Scatt'ring L %nbeLholden
((E

9ts aeLrial
((F
hue
Among L the flowers L and grass, L which screen L it from L the view:
7i!e a L rose emLbowered
((+

9n its L own green L leaves,
$y warm L winds deLflowered
((?
,
Till the L scent it Lgives
8a!es faint L with too L much sweet L these heaLvy4wingLed thie!es
(()
:
((*
bare with no other clouds
(((
%nbidden not according to anyone's command, and probably not even obeying his own will
((-
bower the word is used for both a bedroom in a castle and a shaded sitting place in a garden
((@
dell small hollow
((E
%nbeholden from a hidden place/ or without obligation to anyone
((F
aerial light and delicate
((+
embowered enclosed
((?
deflowered assaulted and robbed
(()
thie!es the winds, or possibly bees
Sound of L !ernal
((3
L showers
2n the L twin!ling L grass,
1ain4aLwa!ened Lflowers,
All that L ever Lwas
Joyous, L and clear, L and fresh, L thy muLsic doth L surpass.
Teach us, sprite or bird,
.hat sweet thoughts are thine:
9 have never heard
#raise of love or wine
That panted forth a flood of rapt%re
(-*
so divine. alliteration
Chorus hymeneal
121

2r tri%mphal
122
chaunt
8atched with thine would be all
$ut an empty !a%nt
12(
4
A thing wherein we feel there is some hidden want
120
.
.hat ob>ects are the fountains
2f thy happy strainI
.hat fields, or waves, or mountainsI
.hat shapes of s!y or plainI
.hat love of thine own !indI what ignorance of painI
.ith thy clear !een 1oyance
(-F

2an%or
(-+
cannot be:
Shadow of annoyance
5ever came near thee: alliteraton
Thou lovest, but ne'er !new love's sad satiety
(-?
. alliteration
.a!ing or asleep,
Thou of death must deem
(-)
alliteration
Things more true and deep
Than we mortals dream,
2r how could thy notes flow in such a crystal streamI
((3
!ernal spring, fresh
(-*
rapt%re passionate e%citement
(-(
hymeneal celebrating marriage
(--
tri%mphal celebrating victory
(-@
!a%nt boast
(-E
want lac!
(-F
1oyance feeling or state of gladness
(-+
lan%or weariness
(-?
satiety tired distaste <as if after over4indulging in food or drin!=
(-)
deem >udge, consider
.e loo! before and after,
And pine
(-3
for what is not:
2ur sincerest laughter
.ith some pain is fra%ht
(@*
/ consonance
2ur sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.
Ket if we could scorn
Hate, and pride, and fear/
9f we were things born
5ot to shed a tear,
9 !now not how thy >oy we ever should come near.
$etter than all measures
2f delightful sound,
$etter than all treasures
That in boo!s are found,
Thy skill to poet were
1(1
, thou scorner
1(2
of the groundD
Teach me half the gladness
That thy brain must !now,
Such harmonio%s madness
(@@
o%ymoron
0rom my lips would flow
The world should listen then, as 9 am listening nowD
(-3
pine waste away with longing
(@*
fra%ht filled, troubled
(@(
skill to poet were as an e%ample or inspiration
(@-
scorner the s!ylar! sings only when flying and is more a creature of the s!y than of the earth
(@@
harmonio%s madness a very #latonic idea. Shelley's translation of #lato's 9on reads: BThe 8use,
communicating through those whom she has first inspired, to all others capable of sharing in the
inspiration, the influence of that first enthusiasm, creates a chain and a succession. 0or the authors of
those great poems which we admire, do not attain to e%cellence through the rules of any art, but they utter
their beautiful melodies of verse in a state of inspiration, and, as it were, possessed of a spirit not their
own... in a state of divine insanity.C
Skylark S%mmary
The spea!er, addressing a s!ylar!, says that it is a Bblithe SpiritC rather than a bird, for its
song comes from Heaven, and from its full heart pours Bprofuse strains of unpremeditated
art.C
The s!ylar! flies higher and higher, Bli!e a cloud of fireC in the blue s!y, singing as it
flies. 9n the Bgolden lightningC of the sun, it floats and runs, li!e Ban unbodied >oyC.
As the s!ylar! flies higher and higher, the spea!er loses sight of it, but is still able to hear
its Bshrill delight,C which comes down as !eenly as moonbeams in the Bwhite dawn,C
which can be felt even when they are not seen.
The earth and air ring with the s!ylar!'s voice, >ust as Heaven overflows with
moonbeams when the moon shines out from behind Ba lonely cloud.C
The spea!er says that no one !nows what the s!ylar! is, for it is uni"ue: even Brainbow
cloudsC do not rain as brightly as the shower of melody that pours from the s!ylar!.
The bird is Bli!e a poet hidden L 9n the light of thoughtC, able to ma!e the world
e%perience Bsympathy with hopes and fears it heeded notC.
9t is li!e a lonely maiden in a palace tower, who uses her song to soothe her lovelorn soul.
9t is li!e a golden glow4worm, scattering light among the flowers and grass in which it is
hidden.
9t is li!e a rose embowered in its own green leaves, whose scent is blown by the wind
until the bees are faint with Btoo much sweetC.
The s!ylar!'s song surpasses Ball that ever was, L Joyous and clear and freshC, whether
the rain falling on the Btwin!ling grassC or the flowers the rain awa!ens.
Calling the s!ylar! BSprite or $irdC, the spea!er as!s it to tell him its Bsweet thoughtsC,
for he has never heard anyone or anything call up Ba flood of rapture so divineC.
Compared to the s!ylar!'s, any music would seem lac!ing.
.hat ob>ects, the spea!er as!s, are Bthe fountains of thy happy strainIC
9s it fields, waves, mountains, the s!y, the plain, or Blove of thine own !indC or
Bignorance or painCI
#ain and languor, the spea!er says, Bnever came nearC the s!ylar!: it loves, but has never
!nown Blove's sad satietyC.
2f death, the s!ylar! must !now Bthings more true and deepC than mortals could dream/
otherwise, the spea!er as!s, Bhow could thy notes flow in such a crystal streamIC
0or mortals, the e%perience of happiness is bound ine%tricably with the e%perience of
sadness: dwelling upon memories and hopes for the future, mortal men Bpine for what is
notC/ their laughter is BfraughtC with Bsome painC/ their Bsweetest songs are those that tell
of saddest thoughtC.
$ut, the spea!er says, even if men could Bscorn L Hate and pride and fearC, and were born
without the capacity to weep, he still does not !now how they could ever appro%imate the
>oy e%pressed by the s!ylar!.
Calling the bird a Bscorner of the ground,C he says that its music is better than all music
and all poetry. He as!s the bird to teach him Bhalf the gladness L That thy brain must
!nowC, for then he would overflow with Bharmonious madnessC, and his song would be
so beautiful that the world would listen to him, even as he is now listening to the s!ylar!.
Skylark 3orm
The eccentric, songli!e, five4line stan:as of To a Skylark all -( of them follow the
same pattern:
the first four lines are metered in trochaic trimeter, the fifth in iambic he*ameter <a
line which can also be called an .le*andrine=.
The rhyme scheme of each stan:a is e%tremely simple: .B.BB.
Skylark 'ommentary
9f Ode to the West Wind was Shelley's first convincing attempt to articulate an aesthetic
philosophy through metaphors of nature, the s!ylar! is his greatest natural metaphor for
pure poetic e%pression, the Bharmonious madnessC of pure inspiration.
The s!ylar!'s song issues from a state of purified e%istence, a .ordsworthian notion of
complete unity with Heaven through nature/ its song is motivated by the >oy of that
uncomplicated purity of being, and is unmi%ed with any hint of melancholy or of the
bittersweet, as human >oy so often is.
The s!ylar!'s unimpeded song rains down upon the world, surpassing every other beauty,
inspiring metaphor and ma!ing the spea!er believe that the bird is not a mortal bird at all,
but a 'Spirit', a Asprite', a Bpoet hidden L 9n the light of thoughtC.
9n that sense, the s!ylar! is almost an e%act twin of the bird in ;eats's Ode to a
Nihtinale/ both represent pure e%pression through their songs, and li!e the s!ylar!, the
nightingale Bwast not born for deathC.
$ut while the nightingale is a bird of dar!ness, invisible in the shadowy forest glades, the
s!ylar! is a bird of daylight, invisible in the deep bright blue of the s!y.
The nightingale inspires ;eats to feel Ba drowsy numbnessC of happiness that is also li!e
pain, and that ma!es him thin! of death/
the s!ylar! inspires Shelley to feel a frantic, rapturous >oy that has no part of pain.
To ;eats, human >oy and sadness are ine%tricably lin!ed, as he e%plains at length in the
final stan:a of the Ode on Melancholy.
$ut the s!ylar! sings free of all human error and comple%ity, and while listening to his
song, the poet feels free of those things, too.
Structurally and linguistically, this poem is almost uni"ue among Shelley's wor!s/ its
strange form of stan:a, with four compact lines and one very long line, and its lilting,
songli!e diction <Bprofuse strains of unpremeditated artC= wor! to create the effect of
spontaneous poetic e%pression flowing musically and naturally from the poet's mind.
Structurally, each stan4a tends to ma!e a sinle point about the s!ylar!, or to loo! at it
in a sudden, brief new light/
still, the poem does flow, and gradually advances the mini4narrative of the spea!er
watching the s!ylar! flying higher and higher into the s!y, and envying its untrammelled
inspiration which, if he were to capture it in words, would cause the world to listen.