In Percy Shelley's poem "Ode to the Wests Wind" wind is a the central poetic factor. The poem can be hard to understand at first read, but by breaking it down it can be understood more easily. Each stanza has a sort of theme. What is the significance of the wind?
Stanza one talks about the death of people, such as "cold and low," "dark wintry bed," and "ghosts." Leaves are the main natural image here.
Stanza two is talking about a sort of apocalypse, in ways such as "angels of rain and lightening," "black rain and fire will burst," and "fierce Maenad." The main natural force in this stanza is clouds. There are illusions to Greek Mythology.
In stanza three it is speaking of the ruins of the old being all that is left behind, such as "saw in sleep old palaces and towers," "azure moss, and flowers" cover the ruins. The main natural force is the waves. The ruins give a Mediterranean, Greek feel.
Stanza four is asking for help from the wind, "prayer in my sore need." Helping is being asked of the wind because it can control all the other things: leaves, clouds, and waves. The wind is "tameless, swift, and proud." The grouping of words "I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!" give an illusion to Christianity and Jesus.
The last stanza, stanza five, is about how the writer wants this change, or rebirth. He is getting old but stills wants to be used for change, "to quicken a new birth." The phrase "The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind," certainly points out this is a poem from the Romantics, because they thought they were the prophets of their times.
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