Articles and Commentaries by Aden Lee, Skylark Press Studio Shelley's Skylark | Page 11

pain?” (the caesura is signaled by a question mark). In
contrast, the caesura here is omitted as the sixth and
seventh syllables form part of the same word
(“unpremeditated”) and cannot be pronounced with a
pause between them. The omission of this pause gives
this line an unstoppable flow which rhythmically enacts
the rapid twittering of the skylark’s song.
Overall, Shelley’s use of the alexandrine to emulate the
skylark’s eloquent song exemplifies one of the hallmarks of
great poetry: a harmony of form (the way something is
described) and content (the object being described).
The next important theme developed in Shelley’s poem is
the concept of nature’s edifying influence on the individual.
This theme is first established in stanza 13:

13
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.
© Skylark Press Studio 2016

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