Ode to the West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Ode to the West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) was a famous English poet.
- He came from a wealthy family and was known for his rebellious and unconventional ideas.
- Shelley was a key figure in the Romantic literary movement.
- He wrote influential poems like "Ozymandias," "Ode to the West Wind," and "To a Skylark."
- His works often expressed his belief in the power of the human spirit and the beauty of nature.
- Shelley's personal life was marked by his elopement and marriage to Mary Shelley, the author of "Frankenstein."
- He tragically died in a boating accident at a young age, cutting short his promising career.
- Shelley's writings continue to be studied and celebrated for their lyrical and thought-provoking qualities.
Ode to the West Wind
I
O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being,
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,
Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,
Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou,
Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed
The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low,
Each like a corpse within its grave, until
Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow
Her clarion o'er the dreaming earth, and fill
(Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air)
With living hues and odours plain and hill:
Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere;
Destroyer and preserver; hear, oh hear!
II
Thou on whose stream, mid the steep sky's commotion,
Loose clouds like earth's decaying leaves are shed,
Shook from the tangled boughs of Heaven and Ocean,
Angels of rain and lightning: there are spread
On the blue surface of thine aëry surge,
Like the bright hair uplifted from the head
Of some fierce Maenad, even from the dim verge
Of the horizon to the zenith's height,
The locks of the approaching storm. Thou dirge
Of the dying year, to which this closing night
Will be the dome of a vast sepulchre,
Vaulted with all thy congregated might
Of vapours, from whose solid atmosphere
Black rain, and fire, and hail will burst: oh hear!
III
Thou who didst waken from his summer dreams
The blue Mediterranean, where he lay,
Lull'd by the coil of his crystalline streams,
Beside a pumice isle in Baiae's bay,
And saw in sleep old palaces and towers
Quivering within the wave's intenser day,
All overgrown with azure moss and flowers
So sweet, the sense faints picturing them! Thou
For whose path the Atlantic's level powers
Cleave themselves into chasms, while far below
The sea-blooms and the oozy woods which wear
The sapless foliage of the ocean, know
Thy voice, and suddenly grow gray with fear,
And tremble and despoil themselves: oh hear!
IV
If I were a dead leaf thou mightest bear;
If I were a swift cloud to fly with thee;
A wave to pant beneath thy power, and share
The impulse of thy strength, only less free
Than thou, O uncontrollable! If even
I were as in my boyhood, and could be
The comrade of thy wanderings over Heaven,
As then, when to outstrip thy skiey speed
Scarce seem'd a vision; I would ne'er have striven
As thus with thee in prayer in my sore need.
Oh, lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud!
I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!
A heavy weight of hours has chain'd and bow'd
One too like thee: tameless, and swift, and proud.
V
Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is:
What if my leaves are falling like its own!
The tumult of thy mighty harmonies
Will take from both a deep, autumnal tone,
Sweet though in sadness. Be thou, Spirit fierce,
My spirit! Be thou me, impetuous one!
Drive my dead thoughts over the universe
Like wither'd leaves to quicken a new birth!
And, by the incantation of this verse,
Scatter, as from an unextinguish'd hearth
Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!
Be through my lips to unawaken'd earth
The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
Summary
In "Ode to the West Wind," the speaker addresses the wild and powerful west wind, which is associated with the autumn season. The poem is divided into five stanzas, each of which explores different aspects of the wind's character and its impact on the natural world.
In the first stanza, the speaker describes the west wind as the breath of autumn, capable of driving the dead leaves like ghosts fleeing from an enchanter. The leaves are depicted in various colors, such as yellow, black, pale, and hectic red, and they symbolize pestilence-stricken multitudes. The wind is described as the one who carries the winged seeds to their wintry resting place, where they lie like corpses until the arrival of spring.
The second stanza introduces the west wind as a force that brings change and transformation to the world. It is likened to loose clouds shedding from the sky like decaying leaves. The wind is associated with rain and lightning, and its power is evident in the approaching storm, symbolized by the locks of a Maenad, a female follower of Dionysus. The approaching night is compared to a vast sepulcher (tomb) vaulted with the west wind's gathered vapors.
In the third stanza, the speaker describes the west wind's influence on the Mediterranean sea, where it awakens the crystalline streams and conjures images of old palaces and towers beneath the waves. The ocean's flora and fauna respond to the wind's voice, growing gray with fear and trembling.
The fourth stanza finds the speaker pleading with the west wind to lift him as a wave, a leaf, or a cloud, desiring to be carried away by its power. The speaker acknowledges his own struggles and suffering, and he seeks to become one with the wind's untamed and proud nature.
In the fifth stanza, the speaker implores the west wind to make him its instrument, like a forest becoming the wind's lyre. He hopes that the wind's mighty harmonies will give his words and thoughts a deep, autumnal tone, even in their sadness. He wishes to be a vessel for the wind's spirit, using his poetry to scatter his words among humanity like ashes and sparks from an unextinguished hearth.
The poem ends with the speaker envisioning a prophecy, suggesting that even in the harshest of times, represented by winter, the arrival of a more promising and rejuvenating season, symbolized by spring, is inevitable.
In summary, "Ode to the West Wind" is a contemplation of the power and influence of the west wind, exploring themes of transformation, renewal, and the role of the poet as a channel for the forces of nature. The wind serves as a symbol of change, destruction, and rebirth, and the speaker hopes to be an instrument through which the wind's power can be harnessed for poetic expression and the renewal of life.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):
- In the poem, what is the west wind
referred to as?
a) A
gentle breeze
b) A
destructive force
c) A
spring zephyr
d) A
sleeping giant
Answer: b) A
destructive force
- The poem describes the leaves driven by
the west wind as resembling what?
a) Birds
in flight
b) Ghosts
fleeing from an enchanter
c) Butterflies
on a sunny day
d) Flowers
swaying in the breeze
Answer: b) Ghosts
fleeing from an enchanter
- What is the primary season associated
with the west wind in the poem?
a) Winter
b) Spring
c) Summer
d) Autumn
Answer: a) Winter
- In which stanza does the speaker express
a desire to be lifted and transformed by the west wind?
a) Stanza
I
b) Stanza
II
c) Stanza
III
d) Stanza
IV
Answer: d) Stanza
IV
- What does the speaker want the west wind
to do to his "dead thoughts"?
a) Carry
them away like leaves
b) Freeze
them in place
c) Ignite
them like a fire
d) Preserve
them for eternity
Answer: a) Carry
them away like leaves
- What effect does the west wind's
harmonies have on the speaker's spirit?
a) They
make him sad and melancholic
b) They
invigorate and inspire him
c) They
put him to sleep
d) They
fill him with fear
Answer: b) They
invigorate and inspire him
- In the poem, the west wind is described
as having the power to awaken what?
a) Dreams
b) Towers
and palaces
c) The
ocean
d) The
Atlantic's level powers
Answer: b) Towers
and palaces
- What is the speaker's plea to the west
wind in Stanza IV?
a) He
wants to be carried away by the wind
b) He
wants to control the wind's power
c) He
wants the wind to stop its destructive force
d) He
wants to compete with the wind's speed
Answer: a) He
wants to be carried away by the wind
- What does the speaker want to be like in
the final stanza of the poem?
a) A
withered leaf
b) A
fading cloud
c) A
powerful wave
d) A
roaring fire
Answer: c) A powerful
wave
- What does the speaker predict in the
final line of the poem?
a) The
arrival of spring after winter
b) The
end of the world
c) The
eternal dominance of the west wind
d) The
resurgence of his creative spirit
Answer: a) The arrival of spring after winter
Short Answer Type Questions:
- What does the speaker mean when he calls the west wind a "destroyer and preserver" in the poem?
Answer: The speaker is referring to the dual nature of the west wind, which can both destroy and renew. It has the power to bring about change and transformation in the natural world.
- What is the significance of the west wind in relation to the changing seasons in the poem?
Answer: The west wind is associated with autumn and the transition from autumn to winter. It is seen as a harbinger of change, bringing the end of one season and the anticipation of another.
- What does the speaker hope to achieve by asking the west wind to lift him "as a wave, a leaf, a cloud"?
Answer: The speaker hopes to be carried away and transformed by the west wind's power. He wants to be part of the wind's force and energy.
- How does the poem convey the idea of renewal and transformation through the power of nature?
Answer: The poem suggests that the west wind's destructive and creative forces symbolize the cyclical nature of life. Destruction leads to renewal, and the changing seasons are a testament to this eternal cycle.
- What is the significance of the final line, "If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?" in the poem?
Answer: The line expresses hope and optimism. It suggests that even in the midst of harsh and challenging times (symbolized by winter), the arrival of a better and more promising period (symbolized by spring) is inevitable. It reflects the idea of renewal and rebirth.
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