Page 49 - DENG202_ELECTIVE_ENGLISH_III

Elective English—III

Notes Lines 2–3
These lines apparently suggest that just as if a magician scares away spirits, the wind spreads
leaves. However, “dead leaves” can be interpreted as forgotten books, and “ghosts” as writers
of the past. In this way, the winds of inspiration can signify new talent and ideas driving away
the memories of the past.

Lines 4–5
The colours named in these lines indicate the various shades of the leaves, but it is also possible
to interpret the leaves as symbols of humanity’s dying masses. In this analysis, the colours
signify different cultures Native American Caucasian, African and Asian. This idea is supported
by the phrase “Each like a corpse within its grave” in line 8 that could mean that every person
takes part in the natural cycle of life and death.
Lines 6–7
In these lines, the wind is depicted as a chariot that carries leaves and seeds to the earth. This
comparison gives the impression that the wind has association with those who usually use
chariots such as gods and powerful rulers.

Line 8
In this line, the leaves are personified as people within their graves, an image that takes the
reader back to lines 4 and 5, where the leaves are considered as ailing “multitudes” of people.

Lines 9–12
In Roman and Greek mythology, the spring’s west wind was masculine, as was the autumnal
wind. In these lines, the speaker states the spring wind as feminine to emphasise its role of a
life-giver and nurturer. The wind is described as an awakening Nature with her energetic
“clarion,” which is a type of medieval trumpet.

Lines 13–14
At the conclusion of the first stanza, the speaker distinguishes the wind as the dominant spirit of
nature that has the power to both annihilate and instil a life. In fact, these two processes are said
to be related to each other as without destruction and death, new life cannot come into existence.
At the end of line 14 is the phrase “Oh hear!” that will be repeated at the end of stanzas 2 and 3.
This refrain emphasises sound that looks apt given that wind, an invisible force, is the poem’s
central subject.

Lines 15–28
In these lines, the wind assists the clouds bring rain, as it had helped the trees shed leaves in
stanza I. Just as the dead foliage sustains new life in the forest soil, the rain plays an important
role in nature’s regenerative cycle.
Lines 16–18
These lines have been profoundly criticised by critics like F.R. Leavis for their lack of concreteness
and seemingly disengaged imagery. Others have mentioned Shelley’s knowledge of science
and the likelihood that these poetic phrasings might be based on real facts. The loose clouds, for
instance, are maybe cirrus clouds, harbingers (or “angels” as in line 18) of rain. Like the leaves
of stanza I have been shed from boughs, these clouds have been shaken from the heavier cloud
masses, or “boughs of Heaven and Ocean” (line 17). In Latin, “cirrus” means “curl” or “lock of
hair”; it is therefore, suitable that these clouds look like a Maenad’s “bright hair” (line 20) and
are referred to as the “locks of the approaching storm” (line 23).

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