'To A Skylark' by Percy Bysshe Shelley
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Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!
Bird thou never wert,
That from heaven, or near it,
Pourest thy full heart
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art.
Higher still and higher
From the earth thou springest
Like a cloud of fire;
The blue deep thou wingest,
And singing still dost soar, and soaring ever singest.
In the golden lightning
Of the sunken sun,
O'er which clouds are bright'ning,
Thou dost float and run,
Like an unbodied joy whose race is just begun.
The pale purple even
Melts around thy flight;
Like a star of heaven
In the broad daylight
Thou art unseen, but yet I hear thy shrill delight --
Keen as are the arrows
Of that silver sphere
Whose intense lamp narrows
In the white dawn clear
Until we hardly see -- we feel that it is there.
All the earth and air
With thy voice is loud,
As, when night is bare,
From one lonely cloud
The moon rains out her beams, and heaven is overflowed.
What thou art we know not;
What is most like thee?
From rainbow clouds there flow not
Drops so bright to see
As from thy presence showers a rain of melody.
Like a poet hidden
In the light of thought,
Singing hymns unbidden,
Till the world is wrought
To sympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not:
Like a high-born maiden
In a palace tower,
Soothing her love-laden
Soul in secret hour
With music sweet as love, which overflows her bower:
Like a glow-worm golden
In a dell of dew,
Scattering unbeholden
Its aerial hue
Among the flowers and grass, which screen it from the view:
Like a rose embowered
In its own green leaves,
By warm winds deflowered,
Till the scent it gives
Makes faint with too much sweet these heavy-winged thieves:
Sound of vernal showers
On the twinkling grass,
Rain-awakened flowers,
All that ever was
Joyous, and clear, and fresh, thy music doth surpass.
Teach us, sprite or bird,
What sweet thoughts are thine:
I have never heard
Praise of love or wine
That panted forth a flood of rapture so divine.
Chorus hymeneal
Or triumphal chaunt
Matched with thine would be all
But an empty vaunt --
A thing wherein we feel there is some hidden want.
What objects are the fountains
Of thy happy strain?
What fields, or waves, or mountains?
What shapes of sky or plain?
What love of thine own kind? what ignorance of pain?
With thy clear keen joyance
Languor cannot be:
Shadow of annoyance
Never came near thee:
Thou lovest, but ne'er knew love's sad satiety.
Waking or asleep,
Thou of death must deem
Things more true and deep
Than we mortals dream,
Or how could thy notes flow in such a crystal stream?
We look before and after,
And pine for what is not:
Our sincerest laughter
With some pain is fraught;
Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.
Yet if we could scorn
Hate, and pride, and fear;
If we were things born
Not to shed a tear,
I know not how thy joy we ever should come near.
Better than all measures
Of delightful sound,
Better than all treasures
That in books are found,
Thy skill to poet were, thou scorner of the ground!
Teach me half the gladness
That thy brain must know,
Such harmonious madness
From my lips would flow
The world should listen then, as I am listening now!
Editor 1 Interpretation
To A Skylark by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Oh, to be a skylark! To soar high above the earth, singing a song of pure, unbridled joy. In his poem "To A Skylark," Percy Bysshe Shelley captures the essence of that joy, that freedom, that beauty. And he does it with such skill, such grace, that the reader cannot help but be swept away by the soaring spirit of the skylark.
Overview
At its core, "To A Skylark" is a paean to the beauty of nature, and to the power of the human imagination. Shelley begins by addressing the skylark directly, praising its ability to soar to dizzying heights and sing a song that seems to come from the very heavens themselves. He marvels at the skylark's ability to create such beauty out of nothing, and wonders if he himself could ever achieve such a feat.
From there, Shelley's poem moves into a meditation on the nature of happiness, and on the ways in which the skylark's joy might be shared by all of humanity. He imagines a time when humans might be able to rise above their earthly concerns, and to experience the same kind of pure, unadulterated joy that the skylark seems to embody.
In the end, "To A Skylark" is a celebration of life itself - of the beauty and wonder that can be found in the most unexpected places, and of the power of the human spirit to rise above the mundane and achieve greatness.
Analysis
One of the most striking things about "To A Skylark" is the way in which Shelley imbues the poem with a sense of wonder and awe. From the very first line, the reader is drawn into a world of pure, unbridled joy, as Shelley describes the skylark's ascent into the sky:
Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!
Bird thou never wert,
That from Heaven, or near it,
Pourest thy full heart
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art.```
The use of the word "blithe" here is particularly significant, as it suggests a sense of carefree joy and happiness - the kind of unbridled delight that comes from being completely free to soar and sing. And yet, there is also a sense of reverence in Shelley's voice, as if he is in awe of the skylark's ability to create something so beautiful out of nothing.
As the poem progresses, Shelley's language becomes more and more elevated, as if he is attempting to capture the full scope of the skylark's beauty and majesty. He describes the bird as a "scorner of the ground," a creature who seems to have transcended the earth itself and taken flight among the stars.
Throughout the poem, Shelley makes use of a wide range of literary devices in order to convey his message. He uses alliteration and assonance to create a sense of musicality and rhythm, as if he is attempting to capture the very sound of the skylark's song:
```Higher still and higher
From the earth thou springest,
Like a cloud of fire;
The blue deep thou wingest,
And singing still dost soar, and soaring ever singest.```
At the same time, he also uses metaphor and simile to convey the skylark's sense of joy and freedom. In one particularly striking passage, he compares the skylark to a "rose embowered / In its own green leaves," suggesting that the bird's song is like a flower, bursting forth from its own hidden depths.
Finally, it is worth noting that "To A Skylark" is also a deeply philosophical poem, one that raises a number of important questions about the nature of happiness, and the ways in which it might be achieved. Shelley seems to be suggesting that true happiness can only come from a kind of transcendental experience - one that allows us to rise above the petty concerns of our everyday lives, and to connect with something greater than ourselves.
## Interpretation
So what does "To A Skylark" actually mean? What is Shelley trying to say with this poem, and how can we apply its message to our own lives?
At its core, I believe that "To A Skylark" is a celebration of the power of the human imagination. Shelley is reminding us that, no matter how difficult or challenging our lives might be, we always have the power to rise above our circumstances, and to achieve greatness. Whether by soaring through the skies like the skylark, or by creating something beautiful out of nothing through our own creative efforts, we all have the ability to transcend our limitations and achieve something truly great.
At the same time, "To A Skylark" is also a call to action. Shelley is not content to simply celebrate the skylark's beauty and majesty - he wants us to learn from it, and to try to cultivate that same sense of joy and freedom within ourselves. He suggests that, by connecting with nature and with the world around us, we can tap into a wellspring of creativity and inspiration, and achieve a kind of happiness that is truly transcendent.
In the end, then, "To A Skylark" is a poem that encourages us to dream big, to reach for the stars, and to never lose sight of the beauty and wonder that can be found in even the most unexpected places. It is a call to action, a challenge to embrace our own creativity and imagination, and to strive for greatness in all that we do.
## Conclusion
"To A Skylark" is a true masterpiece of English poetry, a work that manages to capture the very essence of joy and beauty in just a few short stanzas. Through his skillful use of language, metaphor, and imagery, Shelley is able to transport the reader to a world of pure, unbridled happiness, one in which anything is possible, and anything can be achieved.
But "To A Skylark" is also much more than just a celebration of the skylark's beauty and majesty. It is a deeply philosophical work, one that raises important questions about the nature of happiness, and the ways in which we might achieve it. And it is a call to action, a challenge to embrace our own creativity and imagination, and to strive for greatness in all that we do.
So let us all take up that challenge, and strive to live our lives with the same sense of joy and wonder that Shelley saw in the skylark's song. Let us embrace our own creativity, and use it to create a world that is truly beautiful and transcendent. And let us never forget the power of the human spirit to soar, to sing, and to achieve greatness in all that we do.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
To A Skylark: A Poem That Soars Above the Rest
Percy Bysshe Shelley's "To A Skylark" is a poem that captures the essence of nature's beauty and the human desire to transcend the limits of our existence. The poem is a tribute to the skylark, a small bird that is known for its beautiful song and its ability to soar high into the sky. Shelley's poem is a celebration of the skylark's song and its ability to inspire the human spirit.
The poem is divided into 21 stanzas, each consisting of six lines. The poem is written in iambic tetrameter, which means that each line has four iambs, or metrical feet, with each iamb consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. This gives the poem a rhythmic quality that mimics the skylark's song.
The poem begins with the speaker addressing the skylark, asking it to teach him its song. The speaker is in awe of the skylark's ability to sing so beautifully and to soar so high into the sky. He sees the skylark as a symbol of the divine, a messenger from the heavens that brings joy and inspiration to the world.
The speaker then goes on to describe the skylark's song as a "blithe spirit" that "pours out profuse strains of unpremeditated art." The skylark's song is not planned or rehearsed, but rather it is a spontaneous expression of its joy and freedom. The skylark's song is a symbol of the purest form of creativity, one that is not bound by rules or expectations.
The speaker then compares the skylark's song to various other forms of music, such as the "choir of heaven" and the "rainbow of the salt sand-wave." He sees the skylark's song as a unique and transcendent form of music that surpasses all other forms.
The speaker then goes on to describe the skylark's ability to soar high into the sky, beyond the reach of mortal beings. He sees the skylark as a symbol of the human desire to transcend the limits of our existence and to reach for the heavens. The skylark's flight is a symbol of the human spirit's ability to soar above the mundane and to reach for the sublime.
The speaker then asks the skylark to teach him its secrets, to show him the way to transcendence. He sees the skylark as a guide, a mentor, a friend. He wants to learn from the skylark's wisdom and to be inspired by its beauty.
The poem ends with the speaker expressing his gratitude to the skylark for its song and its flight. He sees the skylark as a gift from the heavens, a messenger of joy and hope. He thanks the skylark for its inspiration and for its ability to lift his spirit to new heights.
"To A Skylark" is a poem that celebrates the beauty of nature and the human spirit's desire to transcend the limits of our existence. The skylark is a symbol of the divine, a messenger from the heavens that brings joy and inspiration to the world. Shelley's poem is a tribute to the skylark's song and its ability to inspire the human spirit.
The poem's structure and language reflect the skylark's song and flight. The iambic tetrameter gives the poem a rhythmic quality that mimics the skylark's song. The language is rich and evocative, using metaphors and imagery to capture the beauty and transcendence of the skylark's song and flight.
"To A Skylark" is a poem that soars above the rest, capturing the essence of nature's beauty and the human desire to transcend the limits of our existence. It is a poem that inspires and uplifts, reminding us of the beauty and wonder of the world around us.
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