Percy Bysshe Shelley was a great poet of Romantic period who wrote ‘Ode to the West Wind’ in 1819 which was published in the following year (1820). Like other Romantics, Shelley was also impressed much by the French Revolution which started in 1789 and concluded within a short span of a decade. His poetry is a record of his radical and revolutionary thoughts. Therefore, he is very popular among the lovers of English poetry.

‘Ode to the West Wind’ consists of five consecutive cantos. Each canto contains fourteen lines divided into five stanzas. Each tercet stanza (consisting of three lines) is in terza rima form (e.g., aba, bcb, cdc and ded) whereas the last one is a couplet (ee). Each line of the poem has been divided into five feet and each foot consists of two syllables with alternate weak and strong stress i.e., Iambic Pentameter.

(̩Thine azˈ)(̩ure sis̍)(̩ter of̍)(̩the Spring̍)(̩shall blowˈ)

P. B. Shelley (1792-1822) died young at the age of 29 in a boat accident. Though he was revolutionary in his thoughts but his poetry could not soar to heights in his days. To this effect, he wrote ‘Ode to the West Wind’ in a symbolic version in order to illuminate the significance and necessity of his thought-shaking ideas.

The very title of the poem is symbolic where ‘The West Wind’ stands for the Western ideology which Shelley attributes being wild in the opening line.

“O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being.”

Nevertheless, autumn is a symbolic representation of the deformed and rotten political structure of the West which is responsible for all deterioration in every field of life; meaning thereby that the end role of the West Wind (Western ideology) is that of a destructive since its being the harbinger of autumn.

Shelley tries to infuse a new spirit of revolution through his poetry but the West Wind harmonized with autumn treats with his revolutionary thoughts like dead leaves.

“Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead

Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing.”

Resultantly, no one is ready to listen to his voice. Then, Shelley goes to call his deep thoughts as ‘Winged Seeds’ which struggle to fly far with a hidden motive of producing new plants (thoughts) but the West Wind buries them deep like a corpse and does not let them sprout.

However, if the West Wind sings the glory of the Spring season (Symbol of Revolution), it will fill the dreaming earth;

“(Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air)

With living hues and odours plain and hill.”

It means that if the French Revolution spreads through the whole Europe, it will turn the tables. It will be only then that his poetic thoughts will be welcomed and his poetry will soar higher and higher. Nevertheless, it’s all about the West Wind what it chooses to i.e., either Autumn or Spring.

“Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere,

Destroyer and preserver; hear, oh hear!”

In the second canto, the writer goes to count the effects which the West wind leaves when it blows, hands in glove with the season of mists, over the sky. It takes its control over the roaming clouds and ruffles them to produce heavy rain and lightning. As a result, dark clouds appear from the horizon;

“Like the bright hair uplifted from the head

Of some fierce Maenad ………………………….. .”

Finally, the fast approaching clouds turn into a terrible and terrific storm and play devastation wherever they pass through.

In the third canto, the poet elaborates in detail the havocs that the West wind brings in the oceans when it blows as a herald of the autumn season. Shelley pinpoints that it starts its journey from the Mediterranean Sea;

“Beside a pumice isle in Baiae's bay.”

And reaches the great Atlantic Ocean. It moves roaring and cleaving the torrents into chasms. The sea plants and their sticky stalks hear;

“Thy voice, and suddenly grow gray with fear,

And tremble and despoil themselves: oh hear!”

In the fourth canto, the poet expresses his regret over the antagonism that the West wind (Western ideology) poses in his way to fame. He becomes humble enough to say that would that the West wind had accepted the worth of his mighty lines;

“If I were a dead leaf thou mightest bear,

If I were a swift cloud to fly with thee.”

He complains against the mighty powers of the West wind and says that it leaves its impact on each and everything except for his poetry. In a pathetic tone, he implores to the West wind;

“Oh, lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud,

I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!”

In the last canto, Shelley uses metaphorical language and requests the West wind to make him its lyre (a musical instrument) and thus, blow through his poetry and spread the message of hope and happiness throughout the world.

“Drive my dead thoughts over the universe,

Like wither'd leaves to quicken a new birth!”

Shelley held optimistic approach towards life. His last line serves as a maxim to give hope to the whole world in general and the depressed West in special;

“If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?”

In a nutshell, ‘Ode to the West Wind’ shows Shelley’s skillful art of composing marvelous poetry. He has put together symbolism, similes, metaphors and iambic meter in the composition of this widely read poem. Its rhyme scheme adds special charm and fascination to the overall sweetness of this poem.