What Request Does Shelly Make to the Skylark?
"To a Skylark" is a notable literary work by Percy Bysshe Shelley. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of "To a Skylark".
Answer
What request does Shelly make to the Skylark?
In P. B. Shelley’s (1792-1822) poem “To a Skylark” (1820), the speaker is amazed by the skylark’s beautiful song. The bird’s music seems perfect—free from sadness or pain, unlike human art or emotions. Shelley requests the skylark to teach him how to be as joyful and create something as pure as its song.
Teach the Secret of Happiness: Shelley first asks the skylark to teach him its secret of happiness. He calls the skylark a “blithe Spirit” (happy spirit/bird). He notices that the bird sings without any sadness, while human beings always experience pain, regret, and sorrow. The skylark’s song is pure joy, like a light in the darkness.
Teach to Feel the Same Joy: Shelley also asks the skylark to teach humans how to feel the same joy. He realizes that even the happiest human songs have some sadness in them. He says:
“Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.”
Humans often mix happiness with sadness. Hence, Shelley requests the skylark to teach humans to feel the same pure joy as the bird.
Half the Gladness: At the end of the poem, Shelley directly asks the skylark for help. He says,
“Teach me half the gladness
That thy brain must know.”
In simple words, Shelley asks the beautiful bird to teach him a little bit of happiness the bird feels. He wants to learn how to sing or write poetry as wonderfully as the skylark. If he could share even half of the bird’s joy, he believes his words would inspire the world. People would listen to him, just like he is listening to the skylark’s magical song.
To sum up, Shelley admires the skylark’s ability to stay joyful. He wants to learn the bird’s secret of happiness so that he can experience joy and share it with the world through poetry.