Transcendental elements in “Ode to a Skylark”.

  

‘‘To a Sky-Lark’’ is a highly philosophical or spiritual poem in the sense that the image of the skylark is used as a symbol of a higher order of reality than the one that human beings occupy. The skylark symbolizes a transcendental (divine/heavenly), nonphysical realm of life that is characterized by joy. There is nothing like this joy to be found in the human or natural world. All comparisons to it fall short, as the last two lines of stanza 12 indicate.  “All that ever was Joyous, and clear, and fresh, thy music doth surpass.”

 

Stanza 1 makes it clear that the actual physical bird is not in the forefront of the poet’s mind. He refers to it as a spirit and states that it never was a bird. Shelley’s skylark exists in an absolute, heavenly realm, removed from the human experience of life. The last line of stanza 3 emphasizes this again, with a reference to the bird as an incorporeal, that is, nonphysical reality. That line also suggests that the bird is a symbol of the very source and origin of life as it first manifests in its most pure and joyous state.

 

The principle of absolute joy symbolized by the song of the skylark is beyond human comprehension and knowledge (stanza 7, line 1). It is transcendental to everything, superior even to the most beautiful or unusual phenomena in nature; for example, it is brighter than raindrops that fall when a rainbow shines. Its transcendental nature is emphasized by the simile that compares it to something that cannot be seen by the bodily eye, such as the morning star when dawn arrives. The song of the lark is also beyond the most beautiful music created by humans. Its joy is better described as emanating from some divine rather than natural source, as the last line of stanza 13 suggests. The fact that the poem is crowded with similes of comparisons to the bird is ironic in the sense that the similes only establish the indescribable nature of the skylark’s song. It is in fact not like anything else. It is unique and absolute, beyond anything that can be known by the human mind or senses, existing by itself, the principle of joy. This is a joy unmixed with sorrow, which makes it different from human joy, for human experience takes place within a field of opposites; humans experience joy but they also know sorrow. Indeed, the presence of one emotion implies the potential of the other; they are always intermingled. Joy can become sorrow, laughter can become tears, and vice versa. For the reality symbolized by the skylark, however, nothing can alter or touch its joy, which is not ephemeral, but indeed abiding. Even if humans could be taught or persuaded always to favour their better nature, they would still not come close to the joy of the skylark, which is unattainable. Humans can recognize it for what it is, become inspired by it, and may learn something from it, but they can never fully imitate it.