– Nihala Navaz
ABOUT POET
P B Shelley was a second-generation romantic poet like Lord Byron and John Keats. Romanticism was a philosophical and literary movement that emerged as a reaction against the rationalism of 18th century. Shelly was the most radyical of the Romantic Poets as a child. He was fascinated by Gothic romances.
A defense of poetry is an important critical work of Shelley wherein he proclaims that poets are the “unacknowledged legislators of mankind.” His major poems like “Ode to the West Wind” “The cloud,” “To a Skylark” and “The spirit of Delight” are rich in imagery.
Ode to a Skylark is one of the best odes of Shelley. He wrote the poem on being inspired by the song of a Skylark that he heard in Italy in 1820. Enduring the bird with an ethereal quality, The Skylark for Shelley becomes a vehicle to convey profound thoughts of humanity. The Bird itself becomes a metaphor for the poet himself .
POEM SUMMARY
The poem is divided into 21 stanzas. In the first stanza the poet welcomes the Skylark. And calls it as ‘Blithe spirit.’ He says that the bird were never a mere bird. From heaven or near it, the bird sings melodiously and loudly opening the heart. And says that the bird’s singing is unpremeditated not pre-planned or rehearsed.
In the second stanza poet similifies the bird as a cloud of Fire, to go higher and higher from the Earth.
The poet uses a metonymy in the fourth line. ‘Blue deep’ here refers to earth’s physical atmosphere or the sky. The bird sing as it soar and soar as it sing.
In the third stanza the poet says that the bird floats and runs through the bright clouds during sunset while this sky is in Golden color. And then again uses a simile ‘Like an unbounded Joy whose race has just begun.’
In the fourth line the poet uses an alliteration ‘pale purple even’. The poet says that everything else becomes pale when we look at the bird. And similifies it as a star in heaven which we cannot see in the daylight. but because of the beautiful song of the bird, he can feel its presence.
In fifth stanza the poet uses both metaphor, alliteration and simile. The poet similifies the bird as sharp as arrows of the rays of the Silver Sphere. Here ‘Silver Sphere’ is an alliteration and also it refers to the moon. And like the rayss of the Moon dim when the sun is rising, we can hardly see the bird, but we know that bird is there because of its melodious music.
In the sixth stanza poet says that the entire earth and atmosphere is filled with it’s music just as the rays of the moon from a lonely cloud at night.
In the seventh stanza poet asks the bird that what is most like as he don’t know what it really is. And compliments that bird’s melody is more beautiful than the rain drops from the rainbow sky.
Eighth stanza – like a poet deep in thought, skylark is singing without being asked. People sympathetically listens with hope and fears which it didn’t before.
Ninth stanza compares the bird to a Highborn virgin who is sitting in her room comforting her sad heart with such a lovely and sweet music at night.
10th stanza simplifies Skylark to a golden-worm in a valley covered with Dew. We can only see the light of it among flowers and grass.
And the 11th with the rose, which is surrounded by Green Leaves, even though Warm Winds made the flower wither it’s fragments makes the bees (heavy wind thieves) faint.
12 Stanza – Skylark’s music surpasses all the joyous, clear and fresh sights and sounds of the spring showers, twinkling grass and rain awakened flowers.
13th stanza – Poet is unsure whether it is a bird or spirit and asks to teach him those sweet thoughts. The poet has never heard such a praise of love or wine that panted forth a flood this much divine
In the 14th stanza, poet compares it with the chorus hymenal (marriage songs) and triumphal chant (Victory songs), which when matched with the music of skylark is just an empty boast. And both of it lack something which is found in the bird’s song.
15th stanza asks the bird what are all the things which results in this happy song. From what fields, waves, mountains,, shapes of sky or plane or what type of love or pain is the reason.
16th Stanza – With such keen joyance there cannot be fatigue; even the shadow of annoyance. The bird is too much of love but don’t know the love’s sad Satiety.
17th – Awake or asleep the bird seems to have true and deep things about death than the people or else how could that notes flow in such clearly and preciously?
18th Stanza – People wish for things that are not there why they look at the past and future. Even their sincere laughter has some pain inside and the sweet songs come from some saddest thought.
19th Stanza – Even if people avoid all the hate, pride and fear and if people were things which were born not to shed a tear, poet doesn’t know people could just even come near the bird.
20th Stanza – Skylark’s skill as a poet is better than all the delightful sounds and all the writings and poet calls the bird ‘scorner of the ground’ as the Skylark is never seen such chilled.
21st Stanza – Poet asks to teach half of the gladness that the bird knows. If taught, the poet too could sing such harmonious madness so that the world will listen to the poet as the poet is now listening to the song of the Skylark.
Thanks for reading 🙂
Littérateurs 