Question

What does Shelley wish for at the end of the poem?

• A. To never feel sorrow again
• B. To learn the skylark’s secret of joyful song so he can infuse it into his poetry
• C. To become a bird and escape human life
• D. To end all human suffering

Answer 1

Answer:

B. To learn the skylark’s secret of joyful song so he can infuse it into his poetry

In the closing stanzas, Shelley directly asks the skylark to teach him its gladness. He longs to understand the source of its unblemished happiness so that he might incorporate it into his poetry. This reflects Shelley’s Romantic belief in the power of nature to inspire and elevate the human spirit, as well as his yearning to transcend the sorrow intrinsic to human life.