ure the source of his inspiration, the wind, Shelley has reduced its value - "writing is thus by its very nature a process of loss" . Shelley was caught in a vicious catch 22 because the relationship between composition and inspiration is one of decline and loss. By attempting to emulate the wind it is impossible to recreate the beauty and power that originally inspired Shelley to write the poem. This can never be resolved as the essence of the wind is not captured by the poem and it only becomes a poor imitation. The process of writing about the wind also accentuates the distinction between Shelley and his inspiration. Intrinsic in the art of poetry is the underlying truth that nature's voices are distinct from man's writing and this is inescapable according to Shelley. By addressing the wind, "Wild Spirit hear, oh, hear!"(ll. 13,14), the source of his inspiration, he illustrates the chasm between the author and his subject. The poem alludes to the wind of nature as being his breath. However the breath that Shelley uses to speak cannot be identified with the 'wild spirit' if it has to beg it to listen. This is why Shelley is the most despairing of the Romantic poets as no matter how glorious his work is it still fares as a pale comparison to the original. The wind is his inspiration but his earthbound and human condition prevents him from ever experiencing that which 'a wave, a leaf, a cloud' can. His condition enables him to reflect on these possibilities but it's a double-edged sword as they also mean he can't transcend his own life. The final stanza introduces the lyre and Shelley beckons the wind to play though him as if he were a lyre. The aeolian lyre's relationship with the wind is that of the player to the instrument, or of breath to sound and because of this it is separate but Shelley tries to make as a single entity. There is despondency in the poem, as Shelley cannot achieve this goal. By wishing to become a lyre Shelley is...
