Stylistics
题 目： Analysis on Ode to the West Wind
From the Stylistic Perspective
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Analysis on Ode to the West Wind from the Stylistic Perspective
Abstract: Ode to the West Wind is masterpiece of Shelley and it is world-renowned especially the last line. From the stylistic perspective, this paper discusses this poem from these three aspects: image, sound and figures of speech to better understand Shelley’ idea to reform just like the west wind.
雪莱的代表作《西风颂》世界著名，尤其是最后一句，“当冬天来的时候，春天还会远吗？”脍炙人口。而本文旨在从文体学角度讨论了该诗的意境，音律和修辞三方面来充分了解雪莱的这首《西风颂》。
Key Words：image，sound，figures of speech, west wind.
І Introduction to the General Poem Analysis
ⅡIntroduction to Ode to the West Wind Ode to the West Wind
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,
Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,
Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou,
Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed
The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low,
Each like a corpse within its grave, until
Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow
Her clarion o'er the dreaming earth, and fill
(Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air)
With living hues and odours plain and hill:
Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere;
Destroyer and preserver; hear, oh hear!
Thou on whose stream, mid the steep sky's commotion,
Loose clouds like earth's decaying leaves are shed,
Shook from the tangled boughs of Heaven and Ocean,
Angels of rain and lightning: there are spread
On the blue surface of thine aery surge,
Like the bright hair uplifted from the head
Of some fierce Maenad, even from the dim verge
Of the horizon to the zenith's height,
The locks of the approaching storm. Thou dirge
Of the dying year, to which this closing night
Will be the dome of a vast sepulchre,
Vaulted with all thy congregated might
Of vapours, from whose solid atmosphere
Black rain, and fire, and hail will burst: oh hear!
Thou who didst waken from his summer dreams
The blue Mediterranean, where he lay,
Lull'd by the coil of his crystalline streams,
Beside a pumice isle in Baiae's bay,
And saw in sleep old palaces and towers
Quivering within the wave's intenser day,
All overgrown with azure moss and flowers
So sweet, the sense faints picturing them! Thou
For whose path the Atlantic's level powers
Cleave themselves into chasms, while far below
The sea-blooms and the oozy woods which wear
The sapless foliage of the ocean, know
Thy voice, and suddenly grow gray with fear,
And tremble and despoil themselves: oh hear!
If I were a dead leaf thou mightest bear;
If I were a swift cloud to fly with thee;
A wave to pant beneath thy power, and share
The impulse of thy strength, only less free
Than thou, O uncontrollable! If even
I were as in my boyhood, and could be
The comrade of thy wanderings over Heaven,
As then, when to outstrip thy skiey speed
Scarce seem'd a vision; I would ne'er have striven
As thus with thee in prayer in my sore need.
Oh, lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud!
I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!
A heavy weight of hours has chain'd and bow'd
One too like thee: tameless, and swift, and proud.
Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is:
What if my leaves are falling like its own!
The tumult of thy mighty harmonies
Will take from both a deep, autumnal tone,
Sweet though in sadness. Be thou, Spirit fierce,
My spirit! Be thou me, impetuous one!
Drive my dead thoughts over the universe
Like wither'd leaves to quicken a new birth!
And, by the incantation of this verse,
Scatter, as from an unextinguish'd hearth
Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!
Be through my lips to unawaken'd earth
The trumpet of a prophecy! Oh Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
Ш Analysis on Ode to the West Wind
1 Image
In the first canto, the main image was the wild west wind and the leaves dead. The canto mainly portrayed the scene that the wind west wind swept the dead leaves in the forest and brought the seed of life. The dead leaves were blown like ghost from an enchanter fleeing and the winged seeds were sent by the wind to
their dark wintry bed. In second canto, the poet used these images like clouds, vapour, rain, black rain, lighting, fair and hail to display the strong momentum of the west wind. Especially this line “black rain and fire and hail will burst” fully reflected that how destructive the force of west wind was and the west wind made the lightening and rains. In third canto, the images, the blue Mediterranean, waves and old palaces and towers and west wind, were combined to create the atmosphere that the west wind would blew everything down and it indicated the coming of the groundbreaking reform. Then, everything belongs to the old world would suddenly grow grey with fear and trembled and despoiled themselves. Thus, the west wind became the maker of all the commotion. The first three cantos created the three levels: sky, land and sea, but the main purpose was to praise that the west wind removed all the wired and bad things and to encourage the strong power of the new-born. After the portray of the sky, land and sea, the poet put himself into the main image—west wind in fourth canto and hoped that he could face the coming of the reform just like the deaf leaves, swift clouds and waves. Now, the poet openly gave his idea—eager to struggle and reform. In the last canto, he hoped that he could be with the west wind to reform and struggle just like the line “be through my lips to unawakened earth”. The last line “if winter comes, can spring be far behind?” is world-renowned. It declared that the ending of the reform made by the west wind was that the dark age would become the past and the hope was ahead.
2 Sound
Poem is said to be the thoughts with music. In Ode to the West Wind, the poet
adopted the iambic pentameters and the rhythm scheme is “aba, bcb, cdc, ded, ee”. Besides, the poet uses a series of special syllables to produce the special audible and visionary effect. For example,
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,
It is opening part in first canto. The first pronunciation {w} in wild west wind sounds like the blowing of the wind. On one hand, this sound indicated the fierceness and destructive forces of the wind; on the other hand, it sounds serene and serious and makes the solemn atmosphere of the autumn with the stops {b} and {d}.The sound {s} and {f} vividly imitate the sound of the wind and show the swiftness and fast speed of the coming and sweeping of the wind.
3 Figures of speech
A Symbolization
The use of symbolization is one of the features of Shelley’s poetry. The main image in Ode to the West Wind is the symbol of the unknown power to encourage life and a kind of great endless power to rule the world. Shelley’s wind is both the destroyer and the protector. It symbolizes not only the dying autumn but also the
vigorous spring full of vitality. the changes of leaves, clouds and sea caused by the wind reflect the social backgrounds and the dead leaves symbolize the the uneasy power in British. The richness of colors in “Yellow and black and pale, and hectic red pestilence-stricken multitudes” gives us a solemn and depressed picture. “a vast sepulcher” symbolizes the ending of the corrupted dark power. In conclusion, the poet uses dozens of symbols to express his enthusiasm and passion for reform and then to affect and move the readers.
B Personification
Personification is a good way to make the image vivid. Shelley’s wind is the capitalized “Autumn’s being” which is associated with “human being”. From this, we can see that poet personified the wind and give it life, but for the west wind in spring, the poet called it “Thine azure sister of the Spring” and it gave people the youth and vigorous feeling and meanwhile, it associates with the scene of revivification. In “Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air”, the spring wind becomes the sheepherder. In the third canto, the poet uses a series of phrases of personifications such as “where he lay”, “lulled by the coil of his crystalline streams”, “saw in sleep”. the poets use “lay” “lull” “saw in sleep” to portray the peace and serenity of the sea and them makes a strong contrast with the following action “quivering”, thus wholly reflects the destructive force of the west wind.
C Metaphor and Simile
Metaphor and simile are the most frequently used figures of speech. In this poem, there are a lot of metaphors and similes. For example, in the second canto, “Loose clouds like Earth’s decaying leaves are shed , Shook from the tangled boughs of Heaven and Ocean, Angles of rain and lightening ”, in it, the poet compares the “loose clouds ” to the “decaying leaves” to directly display the scene . and this line “Like the bright hair uplifted from the head of some fierce Maenad” is a simile. It compares the “locks” to “bright hair”, and in it, Maenad is a fable to describe the fierceness of the west wind and to shock people’s heart.
ⅣConclusion
The poem, Ode to the West Wind is first English poem I read and therefore, it impressed me most. Every time I read, I cannot help moved by not only the beautiful images and sounds but also the great ideas of saving people regardless of sacrificing himself.
Works Cited:
1 Shelley. Ode to the West Wind.
2 Wang Zuoliang, Ding Wandao. Introduction to English Stylistics. Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
3 罗莉.经典重读----雪莱《西风颂》赏析.咸宁学院学报.
4崔永芹，黄燕，张蓉芳.《西风颂》赏析.
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