payment page
Study Tools
Overview
“Ode to the West Wind” is a lyric poem written by the British Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley
. As its title suggests, the poem consists of a lengthy address to the west wind in which the speaker reflects on the great influence this “unseen presence” has over the domains of earth, sky, and sea. Yet the speaker’s purpose in this ode isn’t simply to praise the wind. Rather, they wish to enlist the wind’s help in spreading their prophetic vision. As the speaker makes clear in the final canto, they are a poet. They believe that, as long as they can ensure their voice is heard far and wide, their poetry can change the world.Read the free full text, a summary & analysis, an analysis of the speaker, and explanations of famous quotes from “Ode to the West Wind.”
