Nature is often depicted as a source of inspiration for many writers. Percy Blythe Shelley and Henry David Thoreau express an appreciation for nature's divine power and splendor. In Shelley's poem, "Ode to the West Wind," and Thoreau's essay, "Walking," nature is presented as a divine source of rejuvenation and inspiration.
             In "Ode to the West Wind," Shelley reaches for transcendence that is brought about by the changing of the seasons, indicated by the winds coming from the west. These winds of "Autumn's being" (Shelley 1) signify change and the coming of a new season. For example, the poet declares that the winds, "whose unseen presence the leaves dead/Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing" (3-4). The poet's thoughts are much like the "winged seeds" (7) that are caught in the dead of the season. The winds are seen as a driving force for the poet, indicating a natural world change. While the poet acknowledges that it is winter, he also realizes that winter generally means a dormant stage in most areas of life. However, within these lines, we can see flashes of hope because the poet uses the word seeds, which indicates that new life will bud in the springtime.
             The poet then changes his focus that of springtime, when new life will burst forth in all aspects of nature. Spring is seen as a time of rebirth and the wind will blow over "the dreaming earth" and fill "plain and hill" (12) "living hues and odours" (13). The poet's thoughts move from spring to winter again, and the poet observes:
             Loose clouds like the earth's decaying leaves are shed,
             Shook from the tangled boughs of Heaven and Ocean,
             Angels of rain and lightning: they are spread
             On the blue surface of thine airy surge,
             Like the bright hair uplifted from the head. (16-20)
             This image represents the power of nature and the poet's recognition that nature, even in winter, is graceful and beautiful. The strength of na...