The West Wind is thought of as a wild and uncontrollable spirit, a tempestuous force destroying what has to die and scattering the seeds of new life. It is in a way the symbol of the Law of Life itself, manifesting itself in the change of seasons, in the cycle of birth, death and regeneration. In the first stanza its effect on land is described. The powerful Wind drives away the dead and sickly leaves ('the pestilence-stricken multitudes') by its unseen presence like a magician driving away ghosts. Thus the Wind acts as a Destroyer. The Wind at the same time scatters the seeds and buries them in the soil, where they lie dormant all through the Winter. When the warm Spring breeze blows, the seeds will sprout, filling the whole earth with new life, colours and fragrance. Thus it acts as a preserver and brings about a regeneration. The dual aspects of the West Wind are maintained and reinforced throughout the poem.
The West Wind's effect in the sky is as tumultuous as its effect on land. In the second stanza, with the help of three images, the poet splendidly describes the terrible impact of the West Wind on the clouds. The Wind is pictured as a great river and the clouds are like leaves. Just as the Wind drives away the leaves on land, it shakes 'the tangled boughs of Heaven and Ocean' and scatters the thin, loose clouds. Heaven and ocean together constitute a great tree, from whose tangled branches the clouds are shaken and pushed away. The scattered clouds herald the approach of a rain-storm. The second image is that of a fierce Maenad (a female devotee of the god Dionysus). The sky looks terrible like a fierce Maenad, drunk and intoxicated, with the thin clouds spread out behind her like wild, uplifted hair. The third image is related to death and tomb. The sound of the wind is the 'dirge of the dying year'. The black clouds are transformed into the dark solid dome of a tomb from which rain, lightning and hail will burst with a frightening energy. The wind here again carries the suggestion of birth and growth along with decay and death.
In the third stanza poet describes the effect of the powerful Wind on the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The Wind wakes up the calm Mediterranean from its summer slumber. The poet imagines the Mediterranean lying by the side of the pumice isle in Baiae's bay, dreaming of old palaces, and ruined towers with gardens full of bright flowers on its shores, which are reflected on the crystal-clear waters. The smooth waves of the Atlantic cleave themselves into deep furrows by the impact of the mighty West Wind. The vegetation in the sea-bed becomes pale with fear, tremble and shed their leaves. In all the first three stanzas the metaphor of leaf is maintained. The Wind scattered the decayed and dead leaves on land; the clouds are like leaves shed by the Wind. The undersea plants too 'despoil themselves' at the very sound of the Wind. All these stanzas also indicate the two aspects of the West Wind, viz., as a destroyer and as a preserver. It destroys what is sick and useless and preserves the seeds of life to bring about regeneration. Each stanza gives an account of the powers and attributes of the Wind and the three stanzas taken together are cast in the mould of a prayer.
