To a Skylark-P. B. Shelley
Categories: WB SLST 2025 English Prep – Class IX & X
About Course
Master “To a Skylark” by P. B. Shelley for West Bengal SLST 2025 (Class IX–X) with our specialized online course. This comprehensive course offers line-by-line explanations, detailed summaries, literary analysis, and exam-focused MCQs aligned with the WB SLST English syllabus. Designed for self-paced learning and exam readiness, the course explores key themes such as the transcendence of nature, the contrast between human sorrow and natural joy, and Shelley’s ideal of poetic inspiration. With a focus on symbolism, imagery, and Shelley’s lyrical style, this course is ideal for WB SLST aspirants, English literature students, and school-level educators. It provides structured, syllabus-based content to deepen understanding and build confidence for the exam.
What Will You Learn?
- Line-by-line explanation of the poem in simple English
- Detailed summary and central idea
- Literary devices and figures of speech used in the poem
- Important themes, tone, and imagery
- 100+ practice MCQs with answers based on the poem
- Previous years’ SLST pattern-based questions
- Conceptual and exam-oriented analysis
Course Content
Full Text
To a Skylark
By P. B. Shelley
Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!
Bird thou never wert,
That from Heaven, or near it,
Pourest thy full heart
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art.
Higher still and higher
From the earth thou springest
Like a cloud of fire;
The blue deep thou wingest,
And singing still dost soar, and soaring ever singest.
In the golden lightning
Of the sunken sun,
O'er which clouds are brightening,
Thou dost float and run,
Like an unbodied joy whose race is just begun.
The pale purple even
Melts around thy flight;
Like a star of Heaven,
In the broad daylight
Thou art unseen, but yet I hear thy shrill delight—
Keen as are the arrows
Of that silver sphere
Whose intense lamp narrows
In the white dawn clear
Until we hardly see—we feel that it is there.
All the earth and air
With thy voice is loud,
As, when night is bare,
From one lonely cloud
The moon rains out her beams, and Heaven is overflowed.
What thou art we know not;
What is most like thee?
From rainbow clouds there flow not
Drops so bright to see
As from thy presence showers a rain of melody.
Like a Poet hidden
In the light of thought,
Singing hymns unbidden,
Till the world is wrought
To sympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not:
Like a high-born maiden
In a palace tower,
Soothing her love-laden
Soul in secret hour
With music sweet as love, which overflows her bower:
Like a glow-worm golden
In a dell of dew,
Scattering unbeholden
Its aërial hue
Among the flowers and grass which screen it from the view:
Like a rose embowered
In its own green leaves,
By warm winds deflowered,
Till the scent it gives
Makes faint with too much sweet those heavy-wingèd thieves:
Sound of vernal showers
On the twinkling grass,
Rain-awakened flowers—
All that ever was
Joyous, and clear, and fresh—thy music doth surpass.
Teach us, Sprite or Bird,
What sweet thoughts are thine:
I have never heard
Praise of love or wine
That panted forth a flood of rapture so divine.
Chorus hymeneal,
Or triumphal chant,
Matched with thine would be all
But an empty vaunt—
A thing wherein we feel there is some hidden want.
What objects are the fountains
Of thy happy strain?
What fields, or waves, or mountains?
What shapes of sky or plain?
What love of thine own kind? what ignorance of pain?
With thy clear keen joyance
Languor cannot be:
Shadow of annoyance
Never came near thee:
Thou lovest—but ne’er knew love’s sad satiety.
Waking or asleep
Thou of death must deem
Things more true and deep
Than we mortals dream—
Or how could thy notes flow in such a crystal stream?
We look before and after,
And pine for what is not:
Our sincerest laughter
With some pain is fraught;
Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.
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.
Better than all measures
Of delightful sound,
Better than all treasures
That in books are found,
Thy skill to poet were, thou scorner of the ground!
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.
Line by line analysis of the poem
Stanza 1
Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!
→ Shelley greets the skylark joyfully, calling it a happy spirit rather than a mere bird.
Bird thou never wert,
→ He claims the skylark is not truly a bird; it's something more divine and spiritual.
That from Heaven, or near it,
→ The skylark seems to come from or fly near Heaven itself.
Pourest thy full heart
→ It pours out its entire heart passionately in song.
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art.
→ The bird sings naturally, without planning—its art is spontaneous and pure.
Stanza 2
Higher still and higher / From the earth thou springest
→ The bird soars upwards, rising away from Earth.
Like a cloud of fire; / The blue deep thou wingest,
→ Its ascent is compared to a fiery cloud blazing through the deep blue sky.
And singing still dost soar, and soaring ever singest.
→ As it flies higher, it keeps singing—its flight and song are continuous and intertwined.
Stanza 3
In the golden lightning / Of the sunken sun,
→ The skylark flies during the glowing, golden sunset.
O’er which clouds are brightening,
→ The clouds glow with light even though the sun is setting.
Thou dost float and run, / Like an unbodied joy whose race is just begun.
→ The bird moves like pure, disembodied joy, just beginning its flight of happiness.
Stanza 4
The pale purple even / Melts around thy flight;
→ The soft, purple twilight blends with the skylark’s path.
Like a star of Heaven, / In the broad daylight
→ The bird is like a heavenly star, invisible during the day.
Thou art unseen, but yet I hear thy shrill delight—
→ Though unseen, the speaker still hears the skylark’s joyful, piercing song.
Stanza 5
Keen as are the arrows / Of that silver sphere
→ The bird’s song is sharp like the rays of the moon.
Whose intense lamp narrows / In the white dawn clear
→ The moon’s light fades as the sun rises in the clear dawn.
Until we hardly see—we feel that it is there.
→ Like the moon in daylight, the bird is invisible, yet its presence is deeply felt.
Stanza 6
All the earth and air / With thy voice is loud,
→ The bird’s song fills the whole environment.
As, when night is bare, / From one lonely cloud
→ Similar to a clear night where one lone cloud remains.
The moon rains out her beams, and Heaven is overflowed.
→ Just as moonlight overflows the sky from a single cloud, so the bird’s voice fills the air.
Stanza 7
What thou art we know not; / What is most like thee?
→ Shelley admits he cannot fully understand what the skylark truly is.
From rainbow clouds there flow not / Drops so bright to see
→ Even raindrops from rainbow clouds aren’t as beautiful.
As from thy presence showers a rain of melody.
→ The skylark’s song is like a radiant shower of music.
Stanza 8
Like a Poet hidden / In the light of thought,
→ Compares the bird to a poet inspired by deep, invisible thoughts.
Singing hymns unbidden, / Till the world is wrought
→ A poet sings naturally and influences the world.
To sympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not:
→ The poet (and skylark) awaken emotions that people often ignore.
Stanza 9
Like a high-born maiden / In a palace tower,
→ The skylark is also like a noblewoman in a high tower.
Soothing her love-laden / Soul in secret hour
→ She sings to express her love in private moments.
With music sweet as love, which overflows her bower:
→ Her music, like love, overflows and fills the space.
Stanza 10
Like a glow-worm golden / In a dell of dew,
→ The bird is likened to a glowing worm shining in a dewy valley.
Scattering unbeholden / Its aërial hue
→ Its light spreads even though it’s unseen.
Among the flowers and grass which screen it from the view:
→ The skylark, like the glow-worm, remains hidden, but its beauty spreads.
Stanza 11
Like a rose embowered / In its own green leaves,
→ Another comparison: a rose surrounded by its leaves.
By warm winds deflowered, / Till the scent it gives
→ The winds scatter its petals and release its fragrance.
Makes faint with too much sweet those heavy-wingèd thieves:
→ The scent is so rich it overwhelms bees and insects (the “thieves”).
Stanza 12
Sound of vernal showers / On the twinkling grass,
→ The sound of spring rain falling on grass.
Rain-awakened flowers— / All that ever was
→ The fresh beauty of spring blooms.
Joyous, and clear, and fresh—thy music doth surpass.
→ Even all that joyful beauty is less than the skylark’s music.
Stanza 13
Teach us, Sprite or Bird, / What sweet thoughts are thine:
→ The speaker begs the skylark to teach humans the source of its joy.
I have never heard / Praise of love or wine
→ Human songs about love or wine
That panted forth a flood of rapture so divine.
→ Are not as joyful or divine as the bird’s song.
Stanza 14
Chorus hymeneal, / Or triumphal chant,
→ Neither a wedding song nor a song of victory
Matched with thine would be all / But an empty vaunt—
→ Can compare to the skylark’s pure melody.
A thing wherein we feel there is some hidden want.
→ Human music always feels incomplete or lacking.
Stanza 15
What objects are the fountains / Of thy happy strain?
→ The poet wonders: what inspires the bird’s joy?
What fields, or waves, or mountains? / What shapes of sky or plain?
→ What elements of nature make the skylark sing so blissfully?
What love of thine own kind? what ignorance of pain?
→ Does it love its own kind? Or is it joyful because it does not know sorrow?
Stanza 16
With thy clear keen joyance / Languor cannot be:
→ The bird’s intense joy leaves no space for weariness.
Shadow of annoyance / Never came near thee:
→ The skylark seems untouched by trouble or suffering.
Thou lovest—but ne’er knew love’s sad satiety.
→ It experiences love but not the pain or boredom love sometimes brings to humans.
Stanza 17
Waking or asleep / Thou of death must deem
→ Whether awake or asleep, the skylark must see death
Things more true and deep / Than we mortals dream—
→ In a more profound and truthful way than humans.
Or how could thy notes flow in such a crystal stream?
→ Otherwise, how could its song be so pure and beautiful?
Stanza 18
We look before and after, / And pine for what is not:
→ Humans are trapped in time, longing for the past or future.
Our sincerest laughter / With some pain is fraught;
→ Even our happiest moments are mixed with sorrow.
Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.
→ Our best poetry often comes from pain.
Stanza 19
Yet if we could scorn / Hate, and pride, and fear;
→ If we could reject hate, pride, and fear,
If we were things born / Not to shed a tear,
→ If we were beyond sorrow,
I know not how thy joy we ever should come near.
→ Only then could we understand the skylark’s joy.
Stanza 20
Better than all measures / Of delightful sound,
→ The skylark’s song surpasses any human-made music.
Better than all treasures / That in books are found,
→ Its natural song is better than any literary wisdom.
Thy skill to poet were, thou scorner of the ground!
→ The skylark would be the ideal poet—one who rises above the mundane world.
Stanza 21
Teach me half the gladness / That thy brain must know;
→ The speaker begs to learn just half the joy the skylark feels.
Such harmonious madness / From my lips would flow
→ He would then create music that seems ecstatically beautiful.
The world should listen then—as I am listening now.
→ Everyone would listen to him, just as he now listens to the skylark.
Summary of the poem
Summary of “To a Skylark” by P. B. Shelley
In “To a Skylark,” P. B. Shelley addresses a skylark—a small songbird known for its melodious singing—as a "blithe spirit" rather than a mere bird. The poet sees the skylark as a divine, joyful being that soars high into the sky and sings effortlessly, filling the heavens with its spontaneous and pure music.
As the skylark flies higher and higher, it remains invisible to the human eye, yet its song continues to pour down like a shower of melody. The poet marvels at the bird’s ability to create such beautiful, uninterrupted music without any visible effort. To capture the skylark's essence, Shelley uses a series of imaginative comparisons—likening it to a poet, a glow-worm, a rose, and even a maiden in love—all of whom create beauty and joy from within, often hidden from the world.
Shelley contrasts the bird’s untroubled happiness with the human condition. Unlike the skylark, human beings are bound by sorrow, regret, and longing. Even our most joyful moments are often tinged with sadness. The poet expresses envy for the bird’s freedom from pain, pride, fear, and satiety, and he longs to learn even “half the gladness” the skylark feels. If he could do so, he believes he could compose music so powerful and joyful that the whole world would listen.
Key Themes:
Joy and Spiritual Freedom
Contrast Between Nature and Human Suffering
The Power of Artistic Inspiration
Transcendence through Song
Written and published year
Written Year: 1820
Published Year: 1820
Context:
Shelley wrote "To a Skylark" in June 1820 while he was in Livorno, Italy. It was inspired by the song of a skylark he heard during an evening walk. The poem was later published the same year in his collection “Prometheus Unbound: A Lyrical Drama in Four Acts, With Other Poems.”
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