Question

Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is: What if my leaves are falling like its own! The tumult of thy mighty harmonies Will take from both a deep, autumnal tone, Sweet though in sadness. Be thou, Spirit fierce, My spirit! Be thou me, impetuous one! Drive my dead thoughts over the universe Like withered leaves to quicken a new birth! And, by the incantation of this verse, Scatter, as from an unextinguished hearth Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind! Be through my lips to unawakened Earth The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind, If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

Answer 1

In all these phrases, the narrator— maybe Shelley himself, as the speaker could be some sort of a poet or artist — seems to characterize his ideas as outdated or past their best, like the wilted leaves which drop from the branches in the autumn term.

As the western breeze blows the fallen leaves away throughout the spring to make way for new life, the narrator seemed to assume that perhaps the breeze can also vanquish his dead worries and clear the room for new ideas and new thinking.

The speaker may be experiencing some form of inspiring crisis;

He seemed to believe like his old ways were no more, so as to speak, fruitful and longs for the "new birth" of original ideas and new inspiration.

He hopes the west wind will be able to help himself with all of that.

Answer 2

Explanation: In these lines, the speaker—perhaps Shelley himself, as the speaker seems to be a poet or artist of some sort—seems to describe his ideas as stale or past their prime, like the withered leaves that fall from the trees in the season of autumn. Just as the west wind will drive those dead leaves away to make room for new life in the spring, the speaker seems to hope that the wind can, likewise, banish his dead thoughts in order to clear the space for new thoughts and new ideas. It is possible that the speaker is undergoing a sort of crisis of inspiration; he seems to feel that his old ideas are no longer fruitful, so to speak, and he longs for the "new birth" of original ideas and new inspiration. He hopes that the west wind can assist him with this.