Summary
The speaker turns to address the wind's effects on the clouds and sky. He says the wind causes the sky to be chaotic and clouds to whirl like dead leaves that have been shaken off of the branches of heaven and the ocean. He goes on to describe the clouds first as angels then as the blond hair of a maenad, or a disciple of Dionysus often portrayed as a dancing girl. The clouds, the speaker says, span from the horizon to the sky's highest point.
The speaker talks directly to the wind again, calling it the "dirge of the dying year," or a lament for the end of the year. He says the darkening sky resembles the dome of a tomb with clouds as its top. As with every section of the poem, this section concludes with a couplet. In this couplet, the speaker prophesies that rain, hail, and fire will burst out of the top of the tomb he has previously described.
Analysis
We zoom out in this section from seeds and leaves to the clouds and heavens, a heightening of the stakes that furthers the characterization of the wind as a powerful force. As a whole, the section serves to illustrate that the west wind is not solely benign. Rather (or additionally), it is chaotic and destructive, painful and terrifying. The speaker makes this point in a couple of ways. First, imagery and metaphors surrounding death reappear here, as the clouds seem like "earth's decaying leaves" and the speaker employs an extended metaphor comparing the sky to a giant tomb. These images contain echoes of the poem's first section ("ghosts from an enchanter fleeing") but clearly represent a shift in tone from the blossoming spring we see at the end of that section. The wind's chaotic nature is also illustrated by the speaker calling attention to the sky's "commotion" and describing the clouds as the hair of a "fierce Maenad." This latter metaphor is particularly effective in conveying the sense of the wind's chaos because maenads are traditionally portrayed as wild and frenzied dancing women. The closing couplet makes this point even clearer, with the speaker stating that "Black rain, and fire, and hail" will come out of the sky. We are asked to associate this apocalyptic vision with the wind.
Why is the speaker so committed to having the reader understand that the wind is just as destructive as it is rejuvenating? The simple answer is that the wind in this poem is a symbol of revolution, and the speaker wants to illustrate that revolution requires loss and sacrifice. Like the wind, revolution can be painful, and it can be devastating, but it can also lead to positive change and ultimately a better world.
