Transformation (Motif)
The cloud is constantly shifting, sometimes assuming the role of a slow and steady helper, sometimes that of a forceful leader, and sometimes that of a quiet, appreciative observer. However, for the cloud—and for its companions in the natural world, such as the sun or the moon—transformation is no sign of weakness. Furthermore, no stage of the cloud's transformation is treated as preferable to any other, and the cloud never expresses a desire to eliminate or extend any phase of its transformation. Change is treated as a virtue in itself, giving the cloud necessary periods of excitement and respite, and allowing the rest of the natural world to take power when appropriate.
Lightning (Symbol)
Lighting, the cloud's "pilot," symbolizes the spark and spirit of revolution. Lightning is an agent of change, moving the cloud into new territory and literally illuminating darkness. Its role is, notably, important but limited: it appears at discrete intervals, guiding the rest of the natural world towards a new course of action and then fading away. Thus, Shelley indicates, new ideas and revolutionary feeling are essential, but are most useful when given ample time to take root. Notably, the piloting presence of the lightning is not treated as an annoyance, and the cloud does not resent its momentary control. Instead, the cloud finds the lightning, and its revolutionary movement, exciting and refreshing—provided that the cloud is, at a later point, able to operate independently.
Rain (Symbol)
Throughout the poem, rain plays a crucial role: it waters flowers, thus bringing life, and washes away snow, preparing the world for new life and new growth. On the symbolic level, the rain washes away the old in order to make way for the new. Interestingly, the rain comes directly from the cloud. Thus, when the cloud overpowers the rest of nature in a storm, it also supplies the very rainfall that subsequently washes away the memory of the storm and allows nature to move forward. At the same time, when the cloud is reborn, it emerges from "caverns of rain." Thus, rain both effaces and renews the cloud, acting as a neutral symbol of change and rebirth that can serve or erase any other part of nature.
