Ode to the West Wind
Ode to the West Wind is a poem addressed to the west wind. It is personified both as a "Destroyer" and a "Preserver". It is seen as a great power of nature that destroys in order to create, that kills the unhealthy and the decaying to make way for the new and the fresh.
The personification of the west wind as an enchanter, as a wild spirit is characteristic of Shelley's poetry. Shelley's personification of the west wind can be called "myth poesies", another kind of metaphor.
The poem is divided into five stanzas or parts. Each part consists of 14 lines. The rhyming scheme is aba, bcb, cdc, ded; and a rhyming concept at the end.
Sub Topics
1. Stanza 1
2. Stanza 2
3. Stanza 3
4. Stanza 4
5. Stanza 5 Stanza 1
Back to Top
The poet addresses the west wind as "Wild" and the "Breath of Autumn's Being." It is a powerful force which drives the dead leaves which are yellow, black, pale and hectic red, to distant places like ghosts from an enchanter. The west wind carries winged seeds to their dark wintery beds underground which remain there till the west winds sister in the spring season blows and these seeds then blossom into sweet, scented flowers. The earth then will be alive with these living lives or colours and scents or fragrances. In this way the west wind acts both as a Destroyer and Preserver.
Stanza 2
Back to Top
The Shelley describes the powerful effect of the west wind in the sky. The west wind brakes away the "Clouds" like earth's decaying leaves from the boughs of Heaven. After being plucked, these assume the fierce posture of black rain and hail. These rain clouds are compared to the outspread hair covering the sky from its horizon to its zenith. The wildness and confusion in the sky is compared to some fierce Maenad, the worshipper of Bacchus, the Greek God of wine. Maenad worships god in a frenzied fashion, uplifting her hair like tangled clouds. These indicate the approaching storm.
The West Wind becomes a dirge (funeral song)
The personification of the west wind as an enchanter, as a wild spirit is characteristic of Shelley's poetry. Shelley's personification of the west wind can be called "myth poesies", another kind of metaphor.
The poem is divided into five stanzas or parts. Each part consists of 14 lines. The rhyming scheme is aba, bcb, cdc, ded; and a rhyming concept at the end.
Sub Topics
1. Stanza 1
2. Stanza 2
3. Stanza 3
4. Stanza 4
5. Stanza 5 Stanza 1
Back to Top
The poet addresses the west wind as "Wild" and the "Breath of Autumn's Being." It is a powerful force which drives the dead leaves which are yellow, black, pale and hectic red, to distant places like ghosts from an enchanter. The west wind carries winged seeds to their dark wintery beds underground which remain there till the west winds sister in the spring season blows and these seeds then blossom into sweet, scented flowers. The earth then will be alive with these living lives or colours and scents or fragrances. In this way the west wind acts both as a Destroyer and Preserver.
Stanza 2
Back to Top
The Shelley describes the powerful effect of the west wind in the sky. The west wind brakes away the "Clouds" like earth's decaying leaves from the boughs of Heaven. After being plucked, these assume the fierce posture of black rain and hail. These rain clouds are compared to the outspread hair covering the sky from its horizon to its zenith. The wildness and confusion in the sky is compared to some fierce Maenad, the worshipper of Bacchus, the Greek God of wine. Maenad worships god in a frenzied fashion, uplifting her hair like tangled clouds. These indicate the approaching storm.
The West Wind becomes a dirge (funeral song)