Ode to the West Wind by P.B. Shelley

Ode to the West Wind: is a ode written by P.B. Shelley in 1819 and published in 1820. This poem contain total 70 lines divided into 5 sections, each section contains fourteen lines. 

 The poem "Ode to the west wind" is a beautiful poem by P.B. Shelley who is known as one of the eminent romantic poets in English literature during the 19th century. This is a nature poem written on the basis of the ideals of the French revolution. In the present ode Shelley uses a natural symbol as a vehicle for his revolutionary ideal. According to Shelley nature and society both are suffering from corruption, tyranny and oppression so he attempts to reform and regenerate the society with the present symbolic and revolutionary creation so we can also  consider Shelley as a great revolutionary poet. There are five stanzas in the present poem by which the poet has highlighted the domains and power of the west wind in the first stanza. 

In the first stanza the poet defines the extreme power of the west wind and says the powerful West wind drives the dead leaves as the wizard drive the ghots. He calls the west wind as the breath of autumn. He also addresses the west wind as destroyer and preserver as it destroys the dead leaves of the trees but preserve the seeds of the tree tree under the code earth which come with flowers and fruits in the spring season again.

In the second stanza the poet says that the west wind blows the clouds in the sky. The poet addresses the influences of the west wind on the sky and its effects on the sea. He says that it brings rain, lightning, hailstones and thunders to the earth with the end of the year. The poet addresses the sky as the roof of the vast tomb and clouds as the tomb of the sky. 

In the third stanza the poet says the west wind blows across island and the waves of the sea. He refers to the power of the west wind to power over the sea and says the west wind does not only drive away the dead leaves but also shakes the sea that remains calm during the summer season. In this period it's clear water becomes to transparent that one can see the bottom of the sea very clearly. The beauty of the sea during this period impresses the poet. 

In the fourth stanza the poet imagines being the leaf, cloud or wave so that he can share the strength of the west wind. The poet says his life is full of grief so he wants the west wind to take him back to his boy good or to lift him itself and set him free from his pains. 

In the last stanza the poet appeals to the west wind to make him his lyre upon which the west wind could play its songs full of life. He wants the west wind to carry his death thoughts all over the world just like it carries the dead leaves so that the poet can be heard.

In this Ode Shelly has manifested the power of the west wind through a series of bold imageries and metaphors which makes it one of the most creative pieces of poetry. Except metaphor and imagery the poet has also used personification very skillfully in the present poem. He reffers the west wind like a human being. He treats the west wind destroyer and preserver in an interesting manner. 

The first three stanzas clearly show the regenerative impact of the west wind on the natural world. In the fourth stanza the world of the nature is transferred to the world of humanity. In the last stanza the poet calls upon the west wind to regenerate him from his state, disappointment and despair. Shelley wants to reform the whole community of the world. As a whole we find the present poem much inspiring. The form of the poem is consistent in pattern. Each stanza is of 14 lines in length with the rhyming pattern aba bcb cdc ded ee. This pattern is called terza rima.