To A Skylark-P.B Shelley

 To a Skylark is one of the finest lyrics in English poetry. It embodies the best qualities of Shelley's lyrical genius. The poem is a supreme piece of art. It is remarkable for its exquisite melody, it's wealth of metaphor, its unusual imagery,its rapid scene and its lyrical fervour.

This poem was composed by Shelley in the summer of 1820 while staying in the Gisbornes house at Leghorn. Mrs. Shelley wrote: " In the spring we spent a week or two in Leghorn, borrowing the house of some friends who were absent on a journey to England. It was on a beautiful summer evening , while wandering among the lanes whose Myrtle hedges were the bowers of the fireflies , that we heared the carrolling of the skylark which inspired one most beautiful of his poems." From this account of Mrs .Shelly it can be gathered that this poem was composed at a time when the song of the bird was actually heard by the poet. The poet had watched the flight of the bird and heard the musical notes with rapt attention . This lyric,therefore ,embodies the lyrical passion and emotion and is considered as a gem among Shelly's lyrics. This poem has been highly admired by millions of readers all over the world.

Shelley is enraptured by the song of the skylark. To him the bird appears to be a happy spirit, whose song is full of joy.The bird flies higher from the earth. It is like a cloud of fire. It sings as it soars higher and higher in the sky. It is like an embodied joy when it flies in the morning or evening.The music of the bird is as keen as the arrows or beams of the moon. The music fills all the earth and air. The poet is filled with joy when he hears the music of the skylark . He compares the bird to a poet hidden in the light of thought , to a high-born maiden in love soothing her soul with music, to a glow -worm glowing behind bushes and unseen by man, and finally to a rose concealed in the petals which have been opened and scattered by the warm winds. Then the poet feels that the song of the bird surpasses in its beauty and charm all that is joyous and fresh in the world. The praise of wine or love is nothing as compared to the praises showered on the music of the bird. The poet wonders as to how so much sweetness is found in the song of the bird. The bird is happy at heart. Human beings can never enjoy the happiness of the bird. They are not destined to experience that joy and happiness which the skylark feels in her heart. The lot of human beings is very sad. They look before and after and pine for what is not . But the sad pining is not to be found in the song of the bird. The bird's song is superior to teach him half her gladness so that like the happy skylark he may also pour out sweet music in his poetry and may impel the world to hear his song just as he is hearing the song of the skylark.