Poems about wind whisk readers away on ethereal journeys. They describe the breeze’s gentle caress or the tempest’s fierce embrace, invoking a sense of movement and freedom.
These verses explore the intangible nature of wind, symbolizing change, liberation, and the passage of time. Poems about wind may evoke emotions of nostalgia, longing, or hope, as they connect the human spirit to the ever-changing currents of nature.
Shelley’s ‘Ode to the West Wind’ focuses on the necessary destruction for rebirth carried out by the personified mighty west wind.
The wind serves as the principal metaphor and driving force of the poem. It encapsulates multiple dualities—destruction and creation, despair and hope, endings and new beginnings. The wind is elevated to a near-mythic status, becoming a point of connection between man and the cosmos.
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,
This poem explores nature’s overwhelming force and its impact on human lives, capturing a tense struggle between man and the environment.
The wind is a powerful and uncontrollable force of nature that dominates the poem. It shakes the house, bends birds, and rearranges the hills, showing its relentless strength. The wind symbolizes chaos and destruction, making the speaker feel small and powerless. It highlights the raw, untamed power of nature and humanity's vulnerability against it.
This house has been far out at sea all night, The woods crashing through darkness, the booming hills, Winds stampeding the fields under the window Floundering black astride and blinding wet
‘The Sea’ is a brilliantly insightful poetic rendering of the sea and its constantly shifting behavior, making it impossible to pin down.
Reeves' description of the wind, which he imbues with wild elemental power, is extremely compelling and memorable. He uses zoomorphism in order to emphasize its power and potential to cause harm in the second stanza. However, he also suggests that even the strongest winds will pass.
The sea is a hungry dog, Giant and grey. He rolls on the beach all day. With his clashing teeth and shaggy jaws
Alice Oswald’s ‘Eel Tail’ explores nature’s elusiveness and mysteries through the enigmatic movements of eels that defy human understanding.
Wind symbolizes nature's mysterious and uncontrollable forces that elude human understanding. Wind's repeated intervention disrupts the speaker's attempts to observe the eels. Beyond its literal role in disturbing the water, the wind is a metaphor for the mysterious aspects of the natural world that remain beyond human grasp, emphasizing humanity's limited capabilities. From disturbing the water to pushing the speaker's ears - wind accentuates the natural world's vastness, complexity, and unmanageable power.
Shelley’s ‘The cold earth slept below’ paints a freezing winter night where the speaker discovers his beloved’s cold body.
This poem navigates the topic of wind through its depiction of a chilling and relentless force that sweeps through the wintry landscape. The wind's icy breath intensifies the poem's atmosphere of desolation and solitude. It symbolizes nature's indifferent power and serves as a reminder of the harshness of the environment, shaping the mood and enhancing the poem's thematic exploration of mortality and isolation.
Cummings’ ‘what if a much of a which of a wind’ presents different fragmented apocalyptic visions in an experimental language.
The poem uses the metaphor of the wind for a dark, mysterious force that unleashes apocalyptic devastation and renewal on the world. The sinister wind blows and 'gives truth to the summer's lie,' revealing the harsh reality. It causes a blizzard and 'blow(s) friend to fiend:blow space to time,' while also blowing hope— 'Blow hope to terror;blow seeing to blind.' The blowing action of the wind makes it an apt metaphor, giving a sense of a dark, eerie, mysterious force.
‘March’ by Linda Pastan captures life’s delicate balance, reflecting nature’s fragility and resilience through everyday images like wind and blossoms.
Wind symbolizes the unseen forces of nature, carrying both danger and renewal. In the poem, the unpredictable winds add an element of tension, representing the uncontrollable aspects of life. Like life’s challenges, these winds can either nurture or destroy. The “Lenten Rose,” vulnerable to these gusts, mirrors how life’s uncertainties can shape our growth, forcing us to adapt and endure. Wind, in this context, becomes a powerful metaphor for forces beyond our control, evoking feelings of vulnerability and resilience.
When the Earl King came to steal away the child in Goethe's poem, the father said don't be afraid,
‘Tonight I Can Write’ by Pablo Neruda explores love’s transient nature and enduring impact, capturing poignant emotions felt after a breakup.
The wind serves a significant symbolic meaning in the poem, conveying the speaker's longing driving his desire for reunion. It spins restlessly in the sky, twirling and turning, reflecting the speaker's confusion and conflicting thoughts. Notably, the speaker links the wind to his voice as he states, 'My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing,' suggesting that the wind represents his desire to call out his ex-lover.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Write, for example, 'The night is starry and the stars are blue and shiver in the distance.'
‘Had I not been awake’ is a stunning expression of hope against the backdrop of doubt, which reminds the reader of their capacity to inspire.
Wind is the driving force of the poem. It is not just part of the setting, but the very thing that wakes the speaker and triggers everything that follows. It arrives suddenly, shakes the roof with leaves, and disappears just as quickly. That one gust brings the speaker back to awareness. The way the poem centers around this moment makes wind the strongest and most direct image, giving it the highest score among all topics.
‘Earth Voices’ by Bliss Carman is a clever poem that utilizes personification in order to convey the perspective of the sun, the wind, and the rain.
The wind is portrayed as a vital force in the poem. It spreads seeds, helping new plants to grow and ensuring the continuation of life. The wind moves freely, bringing change and movement to the environment. It represents the breath of life, vital for the health of the Earth. The poem shows the wind’s importance in the natural cycle, symbolizing energy and renewal.
‘Providence’ looks at the poet’s memories of the 1969 Hurricane Camille – the devastation that it caused and the poet’s reaction.
The destruction that the wind caused is shown throughout the poem. The wind completely destroyed some places and then completely upended other places. The image of places that have been completely wiped out, as well as the boat that has been washed ashore, highlights the power of the wind.
‘A Murmur in the Trees— to note’ by Emily Dickinson is a poem about nature’s magic. It includes mysterious images of fairy men, glowing lights in the woods, and the murmuring of trees.
The wind is only fleetingly mentioned in the poem, although it likely helped inspire the piece. It stands to reason that wind moving through the trees would create sounds and movement not dissimilar to a living creature, possibly inspiring Dickinson's poem.
‘Over the wintry’ by Natsume Sōseki captures the desolate and barren beauty of winter in a leafless forest.
The wind plays a significant role in the poem, symbolizing the power and unpredictability of nature. It conveys a sense of danger and intensity while also representing a force that can be both destructive and awe-inspiring.
Wordsworth’s ‘Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey’ tells of the power and influence of nature in guiding life and morality.
The wind is another important image in the poem and is used to suggest the power and vitality of the natural world. Wordsworth describes the wind as a "voice" that speaks to us through the landscape and suggests that it is a symbol of the ever-changing and unpredictable nature of the natural world.
Five years have past; five summers, with the length
‘The Call’ depicts the dreaded return of a love the speaker agonizes through the night to repel, imagining it as a menacing spirit.
Although a minor topic, the wind is presented as an external force that represents both nature and the haunting presence of the caller. At first, looked to as a comfortingly logical source of the noises heard. Yet it soon takes on the role of an intruder as it uses the trees to beat the walls, or "steals in and twirls the candle," all of which disrupt the speaker's sense of safety.
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