The Wind (Symbol)
"Ode to the West Wind" relies on an extended metaphor in which the wind is imagined as a force of revolution and change. Just as the wind has a great influence on the natural world, including the sky and ocean, the speaker imagines that his own poetry could have a similarly catalyzing effect on humanity.
The Seeds (Symbol)
The "winged seeds" are in some ways the perfect symbol for the poem's theme of death and regeneration. In the autumn, the seeds fall to the ground, pushed to their "dark wintry bed" by the wind. Then, "like a corpse within its grave," the seeds wait for the spring, when they sprout. This is a metaphor for the process of regeneration and revolution as imagined in the poem, which requires some kind of death and destruction before said regeneration can occur. The seeds are an extremely useful and clear symbol for this idea that rebirth cannot occur without death.
Old Palaces and Towers (Symbol)
The "old palaces and towers" that the speaker says can be seen under the Mediterranean are a symbol for the past. They can only be seen clearly when the Mediterranean is calm, but when the wind—the force of change—agitates the water, they are seen "quivering." The significance of this symbol is to suggest that some aspects of the past must be discarded or, at the very least, left behind in the process of bringing about significant change in the world. The speaker applies this philosophy both to humanity as a whole and to his own life, later stating that he wants his "dead thoughts" to be used as fodder for the "new birth" of the universe. This idea suggests that these thoughts should be discarded like the palaces and towers found beneath the sea.
