A YEAR IN POEMS 3/25/2021

 

“O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn’s being,
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing”

Percy Shelley, "Ode to the West Wind" 

More weather-related verse. This has a fascinating rhyme scheme (ABA BCB CDC etc.) and is justifiably considered one of the most elegant poems of its or any age.

The Western Wind was a powerful but ultimately benevolent force in most of Eurocentric human culture. It was a harvest wind, so stood for family and hearth as well as the promise of plenty. (see my post from 3/16/21)