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One section of this poem imagines if humankind were born to "scorn / Hate, and pride, and fear" and was destined "Not to shed a tear." Â This contrasts with its actual depiction of humankind, which describes its tendency to "pine for what is not." Â This is explained because "Our sincerest laughter / With some pain is fraught" and because "Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought." Â The middle section of this poem compares the title figure of this poem to such things as a hidden poet, an embowered rose, and a (*) glow-worm, while its ending describes the "harmonious madness" that could flow from the speaker's lips if the title figure would "Teach me half the gladness / That thy brain must know." Â It opens by proclaiming "Hail to thee, blithe spirit!" Â For 10 points, name this Percy Shelley poem addressed to a bird.
One section of this poem imagines if humankind were born to "scorn / Hate, and pride, and fear" and was destined "Not to shed a tear.
"To a Skylark"