R. Doe

British Survey II

Rob Hale

2/8/02

    In Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem, "To A Sky-lark," the skylark embodies the purity and simplicity of nature. Shelley praises the skylark for its beauty and its exquisite song. He concedes that human nature prevents him from expressing such joy and asks the skylark to teach him gladness. Shelley combines brilliant imagery and vivid similes to describe the skylark so as to contrast its qualities with humanity’s imperfections and illustrate humankind’s need for nature’s renewing beauty.

    The first twelve stanzas of the poem concentrate primarily on the description of the skylark. Shelley begins his praise in the very first line: "Hail to thee blithe Spirit!" It is evident from the start that Shelley has great admiration for the bird. The next lines reveal just how much he reveres the skylark: "Bird thou never wert - / That from Heaven or near it / Pourest thy full heart" (2-4). By suggesting that the bird has ethereal qualities, Shelley builds up the expectation of the reader, and he must defend his claim. The skylark represents the perfection of nature; thus, Shelley’s choice of words must adequately imitate the bird’s beauty. Shelley accomplishes this with a combination of similes and imagery.

    In the first simile in line eight, Shelley uses powerful colors to create a striking visual image. He writes that the skylark is "Like a cloud of fire." He contrasts this light image with the "blue deep" sky in the following line. In stanzas three through five, Shelley paints a mental picture of a sunset. The color imagery Shelley uses progresses from the "golden lightening / of the sunken sun" in line eleven to a "pale purple" in sixteen and finally the "white dawn clear" in line twenty-four. The description of the dazzling sunset is perhaps the most beautiful image of the poem. Though the skylark is the subject of the poem, the sunset is yet another aspect of nature that Shelley describes in order to emphasize the perfection of nature. By surrounding the skylark with such a superb landscape, Shelley paints an exquisite portrait in the minds of the readers. His intent in constructing such a pleasant visual image is to instill in the reader an awareness of and appreciation for nature’s flawless beauty. In the last line of the second stanza, Shelley links this aesthetic beauty to a sense of joy: "And singing still dost soar, and soaring ever singest" (10). The overflow of the skylark’s inner happiness is evident in its carefree flight and irrepressible song. The bird has made a deep impression upon him, and he wants the reader to share this same elation; he accomplishes this by expressing the emotion with vivid imagery.

    The cheerful tone created by the bright imagery promotes a feeling of bliss that the second simile reinforces in line fifteen: "Like an unbodied joy whose race is just begun." The reader can almost feel the bird’s elation as Shelley develops his poem. The skylark has energy and passion for its existence that Shelley greatly esteems. The notion of a "race… just begun" conveys a sense of unrestrained hope and energy that is rejuvenating. Though Shelley does not directly state that the bird represents new life and new beginnings, it is implied in this simile. Lines eighteen through twenty state, "Like a star of Heaven, / In the broad daylight / Thou art unseen, but yet I hear thy shrill delight." Though the poet cannot see the skylark, he can still hear its beautiful song and in line twenty-five, he writes, "we feel that it is there." These lines are significant because they illustrate nature’s influence on humankind. Though the bird may be obscured from sight, it leaves a lasting impression on humans. Shelley is suggesting that nature fills the void that humans feel.

    While Shelley concentrates the first half of the poem on impressing the beauty of nature in the minds of the readers, with stanza eight he creates a contradictory simile by comparing the skylark to a poet. Shelley writes:

    Shelley uses a poet as an example of the effect that the skylark has on humanity. Shelley is associating the bird’s song with poetry – a comparison that the reader can easily grasp. Just as a poet’s writing is meant to impact the world, nature has the power to do so, too. The idea that the song of the skylark causes the world to be "wrought to sympathy" is suggestive of the power nature has on humanity. The similes that follow in stanzas nine through eleven are also unusual. The skylark is likened to "a high-born maiden / In a tower,"(41-42) singing a love song, a glow worm "Scattering unbeholden / Its aerial hue,"(48-49) and "a rose embowered / In its own green leaves"(51-52). These consecutive similes do not seem to have any significance other than providing more imagery that appeals to the senses; however, they do convey a more important theme of the poem. In each of these similes, words such as hidden, unbidden, unbeholden, and embowered are used to describe the subjects. Though they may be hidden or obscured, the world witnesses their creations. By comparing the skylark to these subjects, he is implying that the skylark, whose beauty he has described in the initial stanzas, often goes unnoticed. Shelley has taken great care to describe the skylark in order to convince the reader of nature’s beauty; however, like the subjects in the preceding similes, humans do not notice or appreciate the bird’s majesty. Shelley emphasizes the joyful qualities of the skylark through inspirational imagery in order to help humankind realize the value of nature.

    In the remaining lines of the poem, Shelley presents reasons for humankind’s disregard for nature. For example, midway through the poem, there is a change in Shelley’s writing. Shelley does not concentrate as much on imagery and description of the skylark’s beauty but continues to develop his theme of nature’s edifying qualities. He directly expresses his appreciation for the skylark and uses the rest of his poem to contrast the skylark’s joy with humankind’s emptiness. Shelley admits in line sixty-nine that humanity’s songs are but "empty vaunt." He writes, "there is some hidden want"(70) in the songs of humankind. According to Shelley, fulfillment can be found in nature’s beauty. In line sixty-one, Shelley requests, "Teach us, Sprite or Bird, / What sweet thoughts are thine." Shelley is astounded by the skylark’s boundless joy. He realizes that the skylark is not acquainted with human pain or strife, and he acknowledges humankind’s need to achieve such peace. In line eighty, Shelley claims, "Thou lovest – but ne’er knew love’s sad satiety." In stanza seventeen, Shelley marvels that the skylark does not fear death. Unlike the skylark, men possess a spiritual consciousness, and "look before and after / And pine for what is not"(87-88). In lines eighty-eight through ninety, Shelley seems to almost envy the carefree skylark, saying, "Our sincerest laughter / With some pain is fraught; / Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought;" however, the following stanza – perhaps the most complicated stanza of the poem – presents a paradox:

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. (91-95)

Shelley is suggesting that it is because of imperfections that humans need nature and are drawn to it. The flaws and sorrows that separate humankind and nature are actually the very things that draw humans back to nature’s healing power. The "joy" that Shelly refers to in line ninety-five is no ordinary gladness, but is a reference to the heavenly gladness that he so vividly described in the early stanzas of the poem. Shelley uses impressive imagery as a device to remind humans of nature’s splendor and to impress upon them its invigorating capabilities. Humans can partake of this joy through observance and appreciation of nature. Shelley finishes the poem with one final request:

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. (101-105)

Shelley believes that if he could have just a portion of the skylark’s happiness, his poetry, like the skylark’s song, would be embraced by the entire world. The skylark’s song has inspired this hope in him, and he wants to use his writing to tell others of the revitalizing joy he has discovered in nature’s beauty.

    Shelley’s imagery and similes create a picture of nature that is uplifting and compelling. He extols the restorative power of nature and reveals his eagerness to share this joy with all of humanity. He acknowledges the barriers of human faults and worldly cares that separate humanity and nature yet has faith in nature’s power to comfort and heal. Shelley’s bright tone and dazzling imagery help him to accomplish his goal, and the result is a poem that is as beautiful and refreshing as the skylark it is praising.