summary of To the Skylark by Shelley
To a Skylark
“To
a Skylark" is a poem written by Percy Bysshe Shelley
in the year 1820. In this poem the poet speaks about the greatness of the skylark.
He is startled by the beautiful song and happiness of the bird. As a poet he
realizes that he is unable to reach that same joy and happiness of a skylark. Keats
in his Ode to the Nightingale feels jealous about the bird Nightingale
for its freedom and joy. Similarly, Shelley feels jealous for the bird skylark.
In
the very first stanza Shelley commences by addressing the skylark as ‘blithe’
or ‘Spirit’. He considers skylark as a heavenly bird. This bird is invisible, yet
it sings with profound sweetness. The
Skylark’s sweet music filled the ears of the poet. He claims that skylark is
the beautiful bird in the sky. He
further states that skylark dominates the universe by its excellent music and
soothing voice.
The poet is not aware about the mystery of the bird skylark. The
poet feels excited about the bird singing with its emotional strain like a
human being. He is able to realize the fact that this bird will teach the poet
with great ideas. The bird represents pure, unconcealed happiness that Shelley
is greatly desiring for.
Shelley
employs metaphor to describe the beauty of the bird. He compares skylark to a “high-born
maiden” who lives in her tower and sings sweet love songs. Similarly, he
compares the bird with a golden “glow-worm” spreading its light and adding
beauty to the natural world. Next, he
compares skylark to a rose. Rose has an excellent smell and the scent is
carried in the air and it fills the atmosphere. The poet speaks about the
sweetness and joy of skylark’s song. He states that even the rain drops falling
on the grass during spring season will be able to spread a rain of melody. The poet
confides that skylark’s beauty is beyond these comparisons.
The
poet wishes gather information from the skylark. So, he asks the bird to teach
him the thought, “Teach me half the gladness / That thy brain must know.”
This poem is one of the best poems of P. B. Shelley. In this
poem Shelley outpours his tragic feeling. The line, “Our sweetest songs are
those that tell of saddest thought” adds beauty to the poem. This line
highlights the philosophy of Shelley’s life. Though the songs of skylark are
the sweetest yet they express saddest and most tragic thought.