Summary of Shelly's ODE TO THE WEST WIND

Summary of Shelly's ODE TO THE WEST WIND

SUMMARY OF THE POEM




ODE IS A RHYMED LYRIC, IT IS AN ELABORATELY STRUCTURED POEM WHICH IS OFTEN IN THE FORM OF AN ADDRESS.

THE POEM IS A REGULAR ODE.

IT IS DIVIDED INTO FIVE STANZAS. EACH STANZA IS OF FOURTEEN LINES.

ALL STANZAS HAVE SAME RHYME SCHEME., INTER RHYMING GROUPS OF THREE LINES, THE LAST TWO LINES OF EACH STANZA BEING A COUPLET.



THE WILD WEST WIND HAS BEEN ADDRESSED AS THE BREATH OF AUTUMN’S VERY EXISTENCE. THE WIND CANNOT BE SEEN BUT ONLY FELT, IT BLOWS THE DEAD LEAVES, THE LEAVES ARE DRIVEN THE WAY GHOSTS FLEE FROM A MAGICIAN.

THE WEST WIND CARRIES, LIFTS THE SEEDS AND SCATTERS THEM ALL OVER, AND BURIES THEM IN EARTH TILL THE SPRING WHEN EAST WIND BLOWS. THESE SEEDS THEN SPROUT, GROW AND BEAR FLOWERS AND FILL THE PLAINS AND HILLS WITH DIFFERENT COLOURS AND SWEET FRAGRANCE.

THE WEST WIND IS REFERRED AS A WILD SPIRIT AND IS ALSO CALLED DESTROYED (OF DRIED, DISEASED AND WITHERED LEAVES) AND A PRESERVER (OF SEEDS—DEPICTING LIFE)

THE POET DESCRIBES THE APPROACHING STORM AND IT’S ELEMENTS THAT WEST WIND WILL BRING. THERE’S DISTURBANCE IN THE SKY, THE WEST WIND CARRIES THE LOOSE CLOUDS, WHICH LIKE EARTH’S DECAYING LEAVES, ARE SHED AND SHOOK FROM THE ENTANGLED BRANCES OF A TREE WHOSE ROOTS ARE IN THE OCEAN (CLOUDS ARE FORMED DUE TO EVAPORATION OF WATER) AND BRANCHES IN THE SKY.

THE CLOUDS FLOATING ON THE SURFACE OF THE WEST WIND HAVE BEEN DEPITED AS MESSENGERS OF RAIN AND LIGHTNING AND AS THE LOCKS OF THE APPROCHING STORM. THE WEST WIND HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS A FUNERAL SONG OF THE DYING YEAR. THE POET INVOKES THE WEST TO LISTEN TO HIM. THE WEST WIND CAUSES RAIN, FIRE, THUNDER (LIGHTNING) AND HAIL.

THE WEST WIND AWAKENS THE BLUE MEDITERRANEAN FROM HIS SLUMBER. HE WAS SENT TO SLEEP, MADE CALM AND QUIT BY HIS CRYSTALLINE STREAMS BUT HAS BEEN SHAKEN FROM HIS SLEEP FULL OF DREAMS OF OLD PALACES AND TOWERS BY THE SWIFT WIND.

THE WEST WIND BLOWS OVER THE ATLANTIC, AT A HIGH SPEED AND FURY THE HIGH RISING WAVES SPLIT INTO DEEP CLEFT, GIVE WAY TO THE MIGHTY WEST WIND. THE SEA BLOOMS AND THE MOIST WOODS ALSO KNOW THE VOICE OF THE WEST WIND AND TREMBLE WITH FEAR AND ARE UPROOTED.

THE POET RECALLS, HE WAS ONCE LIKE THE WEST WIND TAMELESS, SWIFT AND PROUD. HE WAS AS ENERGETIC AND UNCONTROLLABLE AS THE WEST WIND BUT DONE TO UNFAVOURABLE CIRCUMSTANCES HE HAS BEEN CHAINED AND CRUSHED, IS NO LONGER FREE AND PROUD. LIFE HAS BEEN FULL OF ADVERSITIES, HENCE HE BLEEDS.HE IMPLORES THE WEST WIND TO LIFT HIM AS A WAVE, A LEAF OR A CLOUD AS HE WANTS TO ACCOMPANY IT, WANTS TO BE IT’S COMPANION AND WANDER OVER HEAVEN. HE WANTS TO BE FREE OF LIFES’S BURDENS.

THE POETS APPEALS THE WEST WIND TO TREAT HIM AS LYRE AND BLOW (AND PRODUCE MUSIC) ON HIM AS IT BLOWS THROUGH THE FOREST. THE POET COMPARES HIMSELF TO THE FOREST AS HE PADDING TROUGHT THE AUTUMN OF HIS LIFE. HE PLEADS THE WEST WIND TO DRIVE AWAY AND SCATTER HIS DEAD THOUGHTS LIKES WITHERED LEAVES AND SET IN A NEW BEGINNING.

HE PLEADS THE WEST WIND TO SCATTER HIS WORDS THAT FORETELL THAT THE GOLDEN PREIOD OF MANKIND WILL SOONBEGIN, ‘IF WINTER COMES CAN SPRING BE FOR BEHIND’. IF ADVERSITIES COMES GOOD TIMES CANNOT BE FAR BEHIND. THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE.
SUMMARY OF THE POEM




ODE IS A RHYMED LYRIC, IT IS AN ELABORATELY STRUCTURED POEM WHICH IS OFTEN IN THE FORM OF AN ADDRESS.

THE POEM IS A REGULAR ODE.

IT IS DIVIDED INTO FIVE STANZAS. EACH STANZA IS OF FOURTEEN LINES.

ALL STANZAS HAVE SAME RHYME SCHEME., INTER RHYMING GROUPS OF THREE LINES, THE LAST TWO LINES OF EACH STANZA BEING A COUPLET.



THE WILD WEST WIND HAS BEEN ADDRESSED AS THE BREATH OF AUTUMN’S VERY EXISTENCE. THE WIND CANNOT BE SEEN BUT ONLY FELT, IT BLOWS THE DEAD LEAVES, THE LEAVES ARE DRIVEN THE WAY GHOSTS FLEE FROM A MAGICIAN.

THE WEST WIND CARRIES, LIFTS THE SEEDS AND SCATTERS THEM ALL OVER, AND BURIES THEM IN EARTH TILL THE SPRING WHEN EAST WIND BLOWS. THESE SEEDS THEN SPROUT, GROW AND BEAR FLOWERS AND FILL THE PLAINS AND HILLS WITH DIFFERENT COLOURS AND SWEET FRAGRANCE.

THE WEST WIND IS REFERRED AS A WILD SPIRIT AND IS ALSO CALLED DESTROYED (OF DRIED, DISEASED AND WITHERED LEAVES) AND A PRESERVER (OF SEEDS—DEPICTING LIFE)

THE POET DESCRIBES THE APPROACHING STORM AND IT’S ELEMENTS THAT WEST WIND WILL BRING. THERE’S DISTURBANCE IN THE SKY, THE WEST WIND CARRIES THE LOOSE CLOUDS, WHICH LIKE EARTH’S DECAYING LEAVES, ARE SHED AND SHOOK FROM THE ENTANGLED BRANCES OF A TREE WHOSE ROOTS ARE IN THE OCEAN (CLOUDS ARE FORMED DUE TO EVAPORATION OF WATER) AND BRANCHES IN THE SKY.

THE CLOUDS FLOATING ON THE SURFACE OF THE WEST WIND HAVE BEEN DEPITED AS MESSENGERS OF RAIN AND LIGHTNING AND AS THE LOCKS OF THE APPROCHING STORM. THE WEST WIND HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS A FUNERAL SONG OF THE DYING YEAR. THE POET INVOKES THE WEST TO LISTEN TO HIM. THE WEST WIND CAUSES RAIN, FIRE, THUNDER (LIGHTNING) AND HAIL.

THE WEST WIND AWAKENS THE BLUE MEDITERRANEAN FROM HIS SLUMBER. HE WAS SENT TO SLEEP, MADE CALM AND QUIT BY HIS CRYSTALLINE STREAMS BUT HAS BEEN SHAKEN FROM HIS SLEEP FULL OF DREAMS OF OLD PALACES AND TOWERS BY THE SWIFT WIND.

THE WEST WIND BLOWS OVER THE ATLANTIC, AT A HIGH SPEED AND FURY THE HIGH RISING WAVES SPLIT INTO DEEP CLEFT, GIVE WAY TO THE MIGHTY WEST WIND. THE SEA BLOOMS AND THE MOIST WOODS ALSO KNOW THE VOICE OF THE WEST WIND AND TREMBLE WITH FEAR AND ARE UPROOTED.

THE POET RECALLS, HE WAS ONCE LIKE THE WEST WIND TAMELESS, SWIFT AND PROUD. HE WAS AS ENERGETIC AND UNCONTROLLABLE AS THE WEST WIND BUT DONE TO UNFAVOURABLE CIRCUMSTANCES HE HAS BEEN CHAINED AND CRUSHED, IS NO LONGER FREE AND PROUD. LIFE HAS BEEN FULL OF ADVERSITIES, HENCE HE BLEEDS.HE IMPLORES THE WEST WIND TO LIFT HIM AS A WAVE, A LEAF OR A CLOUD AS HE WANTS TO ACCOMPANY IT, WANTS TO BE IT’S COMPANION AND WANDER OVER HEAVEN. HE WANTS TO BE FREE OF LIFES’S BURDENS.

THE POETS APPEALS THE WEST WIND TO TREAT HIM AS LYRE AND BLOW (AND PRODUCE MUSIC) ON HIM AS IT BLOWS THROUGH THE FOREST. THE POET COMPARES HIMSELF TO THE FOREST AS HE PADDING TROUGHT THE AUTUMN OF HIS LIFE. HE PLEADS THE WEST WIND TO DRIVE AWAY AND SCATTER HIS DEAD THOUGHTS LIKES WITHERED LEAVES AND SET IN A NEW BEGINNING.

HE PLEADS THE WEST WIND TO SCATTER HIS WORDS THAT FORETELL THAT THE GOLDEN PREIOD OF MANKIND WILL SOONBEGIN, ‘IF WINTER COMES CAN SPRING BE FOR BEHIND’. IF ADVERSITIES COMES GOOD TIMES CANNOT BE FAR BEHIND. THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE.