Literary Devices
Form and Meter
While the meter of this particular poem may vary depending on the version a reader analyzes, the form remains relatively consistent. This particular poem typically appears as a simple quatrain, meaning it consists of four separate lines. There is no sense of a set rhyme scheme, though there is a slight slant rhyme, meaning a near or a close rhyme, between the second and fourth lines with “rain” and “again” depending on the pronunciation of the words.
As for meter, the rhythm of the poem is rather inconsistent; there is no real identifiable pattern. The first line features three trochaic feet, meaning three units of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable. The first line also ends on a stressed syllable, leaving the final potential trochee incomplete: “Western wind, when will thou blow.” The second line features the most regular rhythmic pattern out of the four lines. It is written in iambic tetrameter, meaning that it contains four poetic units, or feet, of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable: “The small rain down can rain?” The third line begins with a stressed syllable with the exclamation of “Christ” and then has an irregular rhythm throughout the remainder of the line: “Christ! If my love were in my arms.” As seen by the bolded stresses, the line has an anapestic foot after the initial exclamation, which means that after “Christ” there is a poetic unit of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed unit. Following this anapest in the third line, there are two iambs (two units of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable). The final line likewise features this odd mixture of anapestic and iambic feet: “And I in my bed again.” This fourth line contains an anapest bookended by an iamb on each side.
This irregularity in rhythm and meter may serve to illustrate the indecisiveness and unpredictability symbolized by the West wind. Alternatively, the irregularity of rhythm could be explained by the fact that the lyrics were also set to various musical scores throughout time, and the words were intended to match various melodies and notes.
Repetition
The only instance of word repetition occurring in the poem appears in line 2 with the repetition of “rain.” The line reads, “The small rain down can rain.” Original interpretations seem to promote the reading of “can” as “knows,” as in “knows how to,” and substituting “that” for “the.” Readings of “small” also traditionally correlate to “thin” or “biting.” This interpretation of “rain” correlates to a drizzling, cold rain, which fits with a reading of the speaker of the poem as an individual who is exasperated with the relentless, dreary weather. This reading supports one way readers may approach the poem, as the speaker desiring the West wind to push away the rain and leave them with some respite.
Apostrophe
As stated previously, this poem utilizes apostrophe. The speaker of the poem twice addresses inanimate objects or individuals not present. In the first instance, the speaker calls on the “Western wind” (Line 1). They directly question the wind’s intentions and direction. In the second instance, the speaker addresses a religious figure, calling out “Christ!” According to Writers.com, instances of apostrophe are “employed in admiration or longing, as we often talk about things far away in wistfulness or praise.” Apostrophe expresses emotion, and this expression is the goal of the device in “Western Wind.” The opening apostrophe expresses longing or despair, while the second expresses frustration, anger, or exasperation.
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