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"omantics 2#$
Shelley belongs to the younger generation of nglish 1omantic poets, the generation thatcame 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, thepoets 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 emphasied by 1omanticism meant that the
movement was always associated with yo%th, and because $yron, ;eats, and Shelley
died young 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 clearas to his
a%diencethan he would have been in the ()thCentury.
Shelley's poetry can sometimes seem self-absorbedor 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.
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General .nalysis
The central thematic concerns of Shelley's poetry are largely the same themes thatdefined 1omanticism, especially among the younger nglish poets of Shelley's era:
beauty,
the passions,nature,
political liberty,
creativity, andthe sanctity of the imagination.
hat ma!es Shelley's treatment of these themes uni"ue
is his philosophicalrelationship to his sub>ect matter which was better developedand 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, andhope.
Shelley fervently believed in the possibility of realiing an ideal of h%man happinessas
based on beauty, and his moments of dar!ness and despair
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5o other nglish poet of the early (3thCentury so emphasied 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 hisreaders sensuously, spiritually, and morally, all at the same time.
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&o a Skylark(oy whose race)is >ust begun.
The pale p%rple e!en
Melts aro%nd thy fliht3/
7i!e a star of hea!en(*
9n the broad daylightThou art unseen, but yet 9 hear thy shrill delight114
;een as are the arrows2f that sil!er sphere(- alliteration
hose intense lamp narrows9n the white dawn clear
Gntil we hardly see we feel that it is there.
@ skylark a small songbird ust before it
disappears in daylight
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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 theeI0rom rainbow clouds there flow not
rops 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 love4ladenSoul in secret hour
ith music sweet as love, which overflows her bower(F:
7i!e a glow4worm golden alliteration and assonance9n a dell(+of dew, alliteration
Scattering %nbeholden(?
9ts aerial
()
hueAmong 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 gives8a!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(Fbower 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(3embowered enclosed-*deflowered assaulted and robbed-(thie!es the winds, or possibly bees--!ernal spring, fresh
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ith some pain is fra%ht@@/ consonance
2ur sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.
Ket if we could scornHate, and pride, and fear/
9f we were things born5ot 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 treasuresThat 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 ofthose 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.
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S%mmary
The spea!er, addressing a s!ylar!, says that it is a Bblithe Spirit rather than a bird, for itssong comes from Heaven, and from its full heart pours Bprofuse strains of unpremeditated
art.
The s!ylar! flies higher and higher, Bli!e a cloud of fire in the blue s!y, singing as itflies. 9n the Bgolden lightning of the sun, it floats and runs, li!e Ban unbodied >oy. As
the s!ylar! flies higher and higher, the spea!er loses sight of it, but is still able to hear its
Bshrill delight, which comes down as !eenly as moonbeams in the Bwhite dawn, whichcan 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.
The spea!er says that no one !nows what the s!ylar! is, for it is uni"ue: even Brainbowclouds 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, able to ma!e the world e%perience
Bsympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not. 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 arefaint with Btoo much sweet. The s!ylar!'s song surpasses Ball that ever was, L Joyous
and clear and fresh, whether the rain falling on the Btwin!ling grass or the flowers the
rain awa!ens.Calling the s!ylar! BSprite or $ird, the spea!er as!s it to tell him its Bsweet thoughts,
for he has never heard anyone or anything call up Ba flood of rapture so divine.
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 strainI 9s it fields, waves, mountains, the s!y, theplain, or Blove of thine own !ind or Bignorance or painI #ain and languor, the spea!er
says, Bnever came near the s!ylar!: it loves, but has never !nown Blove's sad satiety.
2f death, the s!ylar! must !now Bthings more true and deep than mortals could dream/otherwise, the spea!er as!s, Bhow could thy notes flow in such a crystal streamI
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 isnot/ their laughter is Bfraught with Bsome pain/ their Bsweetest songs are those that tell
of saddest thought. $ut, the spea!er says, even if men could Bscorn L Hate and pride and
fear, 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 theground, 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, for then he would overflow
with Bharmonious madness, and his song would be so beautiful that the world wouldlisten to him, even as he is now listening to the s!ylar!.
3orm
The eccentric, songli!e, five4line stanas 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
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The rhyme scheme of each stana 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 forpure poetic e%pression, the Bharmonious madness 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 ofbeing, 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 amortal bird at all, but a BSpirit, a Bsprite, a Bpoet hidden L 9n the light of thought.
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 death. $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 thedeep bright blue of the s!y. The nightingale inspires ;eats to feel Ba drowsy numbness
of happiness that is also li!e pain, and that ma!es him thin! of death/ the s!ylar! inspiresShelley 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 stana of the Ode on
Melancholy. $ut the s!ylar! sings free of all human error and comple%ity, and whilelistening 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 stana, with four compact lines and one very long line, and its lilting,
songli!e diction
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6de to the West Wind
S%mmary
The spea!er invo!es the Bwild est ind 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, aBdestroyer and preserver, hear him. The spea!er calls the wind the Bdirge L 2f the dying
year, 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, andcleaves the Atlantic into choppy chasms, ma!ing the Bsapless foliage 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 comrade of the wind'sBwandering over heaven, 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 cloudD for
though he is li!e the wind at heart, untamable and proud he is now chained and bowedwith the weight of his hours upon the earth.
The spea!er as!s the wind to Bma!e me thy lyre, to be his own Spirit, and to drive his
thoughts across the universe, Bli!e withered leaves, to "uic!en a new birth. He as!s the
wind, by the incantation of this verse, to scatter his words among man!ind, to be theBtrumpet of a prophecy. 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 behindI
3orm
ach of the seven parts of B2de to the est ind contains five stanas four three4line
stanas and a two4line couplet, all metered in iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme ineach part follows a pattern !nown as ter!a rima,the three4line rhyme scheme employed
by ante in his Di"ine #omedy$ 9n the three4line ter!a rimastana, 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 stana. The final coupletrhymes with the middle line of the last three4line stana. Thus each of the seven parts of
B2de to the est ind follows this scheme: A$A $C$ CC .
'ommentary
The wispy, fluid tera rima of B2de to the est ind finds Shelley incorporating hisown 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 preserver, and as!s
the wind to sweep him out of his torpor Bas a wave, a leaf, a cloudD9n 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 thoughts li!e
Bwithered leaves over the universe, to B"uic!en a new birth that is, to "uic!en the
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coming of the spring. Here the spring season is a metaphor for a spring' 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 inthe 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 1omanticpoets 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 whichto 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 symbolie 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 ind. The est ind is an agent for change. ven as it destroys, the windencourages 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
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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 beauty in BHymn to
9ntellectual $eauty and identifying it with 8ont $lanc and the Arve 1iver in B8ont$lanc. 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 recognies 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 awarenessof 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 ind, 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 hascreative 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 sensoryperceptions 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 naturalworld 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 comessolely 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 monarchicalgovernment as a form of tyranny. $elieving firmly in democracy and individual rights, he
supported movements to reform government.
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6de to the West Wind
2 wild L West Wind@?, L thou breath(8Lof AuLtumn's being, alliteration, apostrophe(9
Thou, from L whose unLseen preLsence the L leaves dead anastrophe0$Are driLven, li!e L ghosts from Lan enL chanLterE(fleeing, anastrophe, simile
KelLlow, and blac!, L and pale, Land hecLticE-red,0(
#estiLlence4stricL!en mulLtitudes:00L 2 thou,
ho chaLriotestEFL to their L dar! winLtry bed
The winLgMd seeds0),L where they Llie cold Land low, alliteration, assonance
ach li!e L a corpse07Lwithin L its grave, L until simile
Thine aL4%reE)sisLterE3of L the Spring L shall blow alliteration
Her claLrionF*
o'er Lthe dreaLming earth, L and fille>/ >i>/ >@> and >A> toether
with the repeated >k> reflects the t%rb%lence of the loose lea!esEF chariotest carry
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Thou on L whose streamFF, L ' mid the L steepF+s!y's L commotion, alliteration7oose clouds L li!e earth's L decayLing leaves L are shedF?,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 horiLon to L the 4eLnith+E's height,
The locks+FL 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 vaLpours7$, from Lwhose soLlid atLmosphere$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 theclouds 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 thewest wind to a funeral song sung at the death of a year and says the night will become a domeerected over the year's tomb with all of the wind's gathered might. rom that dome will comeblack rain, fire, and hail. Again the poet asks the west wind to continue to listen to what he has tosay.
FFstream flow of the windF+steep high m> and >l> creates a dream-like 5%alityF3 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 ionysus, the 6ree! god of wine,
revelry and vegetation.
+- dim !ere the s!y at the horion 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#
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Thou who L didst waL!en from L his sumLmer dreamsThe blue L 8ediLterraLnean, where L he lay,
7ulled by L the coil L of his L crystNlLline71streams?-,7(
$eside L a puLmice isle Lin $aiLae's bay70,
And saw L in sleep?Fold paLlaces L and towers
Ouiv'ring L within Lthe wave's L intenLser?+day77,
All oLvergrown L with aLure moss L and flowers?)
So sweet, L the sense L faints picLt%rin them?3D Thou
0or whose L path the L AtlanLtic8$'s leL!el powers)(
'lea!e)-themLsel!es inLto chasms)@, L while far Lbelow
The sea4Lblooms and L the ooL4y woods)EL which wear
The sapLless foLliage of L the oLcean, !now
Thy voice, L and sudLdenly L grow gray L with fear, alliterationAnd tremLble and L despoil)FL themselves:8)L oh, hearD
At the beginning of autumn, the west wind woke the Mediterranean !ea"lulled by the sound ofthe clear streams flowing into it"from summer slumber near an island formed from hardenedlava in a bay at #aiae. $hile sleeping at this locale, the Mediterranean saw old palaces andtowers that had collapsed into the sea during an earth%uake and became overgrown with mossand flowers. To create a path for the west wind, the powers of the mighty Atlantic &cean dividethemselves and flow through chasms. eep beneath the ocean surface, flowers and foliage, uponhearing the west wind, %uake in fear and despoil themselves.
?( the accent o!er the ain crystllineshifts the stress to the second syllable/ makin crystlan iamb?- %lled#### streams soothed, almost hypnotied, 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
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D
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 freeThan 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!iLey87speed
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 weihtL ofho%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 theones in the second stan)a* or an ocean wave that rides the power of the Atlantic but is less freethan the uncontrollable west wind"or if even he were as strong and vigorous as he was when hewas a boy and could accompany the wandering wind in the heavens and could only dream oftravelling faster"well, then, he would never have prayed to the west wind as he is doing now inhis hour of need........+eferring again to imagery in the first three stan)as, the poet asks the wind to lift him as itwould a wave, a leaf, or a cloud for here on earth he is e-periencing troubles that prick him likethorns 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
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D
8a!e me L thy lyre)3, L even L as the L forest is:hat if L my leaves9$L are falLling li!e L its ownD
The tuLmult of L thy mighLty harLmonies
ill ta!e L from both3(
L a deep, L autumLnal tone, alliteration/ assonanceSweet though L in sadLness. $e L thou, SpiLrit fierce, alliteration
8y spiLritD $e L thou me, L impeLtuous oneD assonance
Crive my L dead tho%hts3-L over L the uLniverse alliteration
7i!e wiLthered leaves L to 5%icLken3@a L new birthD simile
And, by L the inLcantaLtion3Eof L this verse,
Scatter, L as from L an %nLe*tinL%ishedhearth3F simile/ eye rhyme
Ashes L and spar!s, L my words9)L among L man!indD
$e through L my lips97L to unLawaL!ened earth98
The trumLpet of L a proLphecy33D 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 thatthe west wind's mighty currents turn the forest into a lyre. And if the poet's leaves blow in the windlike those from the forest trees, there will be heard a deep autumnal tone that is both sweet andsad. #e /my spirit,/ the poet implores the wind. /#e thou me/ and drive my dead thoughts (like thedead leaves* across the universe in order to prepare the way for new birth in the spring. The poetasks the wind to scatter his words around the world, as if they were ashes from a burning fire. Tothe unawakened earth, they will become blasts from a trumpet of prophecy. 0n other words, thepoet wants the wind to help him disseminate his views on politics, philosophy, literature, and soon. 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 hisDefence of Poetry.3* his hair is rowin thin3( both
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&o a Skylark1$$ 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 dayLlightThou art L unseen, L but yet L 9 hear L thy shrill L delight1$8 4
;een as L are the L arrows2f that L sil!er L sphere(*3 alliteration
hose inLtense lamp Lnarrows9n the L white dawn L clear
Gntil L we hardLly see L we feel L that it L is there.
(**skylark a small songbird ust before it
disappears in daylight
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All the L earth and L air
ith thy L voice is L loud,
As, when L night is L bare((* ,0rom one L lonely L cloud
The moon L rains out L her beams, L and heaven L is oLverflowed.
hat thou > art we >!now not/
hat is >most li!e > theeI
0rom rain>bow clouds > there flow > not
rops so >bright to > see
As from > thy pre>sence showers > a rain > of me>lody.
7i!e a L poet L hidden
9n the L light of L thought, pararhyme
Singing L hymns %nLbidden((( , assonanceTill the L world is L wrought
To symLpathy L with hopes Land fears L it heedLed not: alliteration
7i!e a L high4born L maiden9n a L palace L tower,
Soothing L her love4Lladen
Soul in L secret L hour alliteration
ith muLsic sweet L as love, L which oLverflows L her bower((- :
7i!e a L glow4worm L golden alliteration and assonance
9n a L dell((@ of L dew, alliteration
Scatt'ring L %nbeLholden((E
9ts aeLrial((F hueAmong L the flowers L and grass, L which screen L it from L the view:
7i!e a L rose emLbowered((+
9n its L own green L leaves,$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((Faerial light and delicate((+embowered enclosed((?deflowered assaulted and robbed(()thie!es the winds, or possibly bees
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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 hymeneal1212r tri%mphal122 chaunt
8atched with thine would be all
$ut an empty !a%nt12( 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 mountainsIhat shapes of s!y or plainI
hat love of thine own !indI what ignorance of painI
ith thy clear !eenoyance(-F
an%or(-+ cannot be:
Shadow of annoyance
5ever came near thee: alliteratonThou 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(-Ewant lac!(-Foyance feeling or state of gladness(-+lan%or weariness(-?satiety tired distaste udge, consider
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e loo! before and after,
And pine(-3 for what is not:
2ur sincerest laughterith 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%ymoron0rom my lips would flow
The world should listen then, as 9 am listening nowD
(-3pine 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 ofthose 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.
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Skylark S%mmary
The spea!er, addressing a s!ylar!, says that it is a Bblithe Spirit rather than a bird, for its
song comes from Heaven, and from its full heart pours Bprofuse strains of unpremeditated
art.The s!ylar! flies higher and higher, Bli!e a cloud of fire in the blue s!y, singing as it
flies. 9n the Bgolden lightning of the sun, it floats and runs, li!e Ban unbodied >oy.
As the s!ylar! flies higher and higher, the spea!er loses sight of it, but is still able to hearits Bshrill delight, which comes down as !eenly as moonbeams in the Bwhite dawn,
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.The spea!er says that no one !nows what the s!ylar! is, for it is uni"ue: even Brainbow
clouds 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, able to ma!e the world
e%perience Bsympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not.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 ishidden.
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.The s!ylar!'s song surpasses Ball that ever was, L Joyous and clear and fresh, whether
the rain falling on the Btwin!ling grass or the flowers the rain awa!ens.
Calling the s!ylar! BSprite or $ird, the spea!er as!s it to tell him its Bsweet thoughts,
for he has never heard anyone or anything call up Ba flood of rapture so divine.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 strainI
9s it fields, waves, mountains, the s!y, the plain, or Blove of thine own !ind orBignorance or painI
#ain and languor, the spea!er says, Bnever came near the s!ylar!: it loves, but has never
!nown Blove's sad satiety.2f death, the s!ylar! must !now Bthings more true and deep than mortals could dream/
otherwise, the spea!er as!s, Bhow could thy notes flow in such a crystal streamI
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 isnot/ their laughter is Bfraught with Bsome pain/ their Bsweetest songs are those that tell
of saddest thought.
$ut, the spea!er says, even if men could Bscorn L Hate and pride and fear, and were bornwithout the capacity to weep, he still does not !now how they could ever appro%imate the
>oy e%pressed by the s!ylar!.
Calling the bird a Bscorner of the ground, he says that its music is better than all musicand all poetry. He as!s the bird to teach him Bhalf the gladness L That thy brain must
!now, for then he would overflow with Bharmonious madness, and his song would be
so beautiful that the world would listen to him, even as he is now listening to the s!ylar!.
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Skylark 3orm
The eccentric, songli!e, five4line stanas of To a Skylark all -( of them follow thesame pattern:
the first four lines are metered in trochaic trimeter, the fifth in iambic he*ameteroy that has no part of pain.
To ;eats, human >oy and sadness are ine%tricably lin!ed, as he e%plains at length in the
final stana of the Ode on Melancholy.$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/ itsstrange form of stana, with four compact lines and one very long line, and its lilting,
songli!e diction
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