The first section of the first stanza is extremely reverent. Shelley writes of the wind as though it is it's own entity. He writes of the wind as a powerful force, one that is able to move the dead leaves quickly and easily, as an enchanter is able to do with ghosts. The second section moves into some vivid color imagery in describing the leaves. Shelley uses these words to create the picture in the mind of the reader: "Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red." In using these colors the reader is able to envision the leaves heaped upon the ground on a crisp autumn day. The use of the word hectic in describing the shade of red makes the reader see a very bright shade of the color, it intensifies the vision. In the next line he calls them "pestilence-stricken," they are quickly dying as though a plague were running through the trees, and it is the wind that forces them from the tree to the ground where they will spend the winter, "their dark wintry bed." In the next section of the stanza Shelley describes the seeds, and how they lie on the cold ground, like corpses in graves. The seeds are waiting for the warmth of spring, for the colors and the smells of life, so that they may take root and grow. The last two lines of the stanza are addressed to the wind itself, Shelley calls it wild, says that it is both destroyer and preserver, destroyer of the remaining warmth and color of autumn, and the preserver of the seeds and buds until the spring.

In the second stanza Shelley continues to describe the power of the wind. He tells of how the wind is able to move the clouds, to separate them from heaven and the ocean. He then talks a bit about the clouds, calling them "angels of rain and lightning" and that they are like hair a Maenad (frenzied woman) that the west wind lifts up. This second section of the second stanza deals with color imagery, of the blue sky and the white and grey of the clouds. The third section deals mainly with the hair, and how it is lifted by the wind, what it looks like, and how it in a way signals the coming storm. Shelley says that the wind is a dirge for the dying year, that the noise of the wind is like the year's death song. The next few lines seem to have an apocalyptic tone to them, talking of black rain, fire and hail bursting forth from the vapours that the wind moves with its force. Within this stanza that tone of the poem gathers more force, just as the wind does as a terrible storm approaches.

The third stanza continues with the description of the wind and its power. Shelley continues by saying that the west wind, which was hibernating throughout the summer, has awakened and has taken away the placidity of the Mediterranean. The description then moves to an island in the sea, that is mossy and full of flowers, both the color blue. Shelley describes the Atlantic as sort of deferring to the west wind, knowing that the wind will do as it pleases. He then describes the fear that the rest of nature feels in the presence of the west wind. He tells how the seaweed and all the underwater plants can tell that the wind is coming, and that they fear it, as they tremble beneath the ocean.

Shelley ends all three of these stanzas with the same words: O, hear! These three stanzas are all dedicated to the west wind, are addressed to it. In these stanzas Shelley describes its power and its might. These descriptions exemplify byronic nature, nature that is destructive, nature that can cause much damage and harm. The final two stanzas take on a different tone and a different content. In the last two stanzas, Shelley turns the tables and talks about himself, about how he wishes he could be like the west wind, or carried by it.

In the fourth stanza Shelley makes himself the subject. He talks of how he wishes that he could be like the leaves and the clouds and the waves and be propelled by the wind. He wishes that he could be the comrade of the wind and fly with it. Shelley feels that life would be easier if he could be like, or with, the west wind. He pretty much says that life is unbearable, for he falls on its thorns and they cause him to bleed. The wind is able to be free, but he, because he is human, is constrained by the clock. He compares himself to the wind, saying that he is tameless, swift and proud. He thinks that he was meant to fly like the wind, but was placed in a human situation that will not allow for it.

In the last stanza Shelley continues to wish that he were closer to the wind and farther away from his own life. He wants to be affected by the wind, like the lyre, leaves, clouds, and waves. He laments that he might be dying just as the leaves are falling from the trees. The music that the wind makes on the lyre (Shelley) would be a song of autumn, a sweet song, but a song that is sweet but sad. Shelley wishes that the fierce spirit of the wind would be his own. Shelley wishes to be one with the west wind. He wants the wind to carry his thoughts around the world and the wind does with the dead leaves from the trees, for if his dead thoughts are taken like the leaves, the quicker the new ones will seem to come. Shelley wants his words to be scattered among the people of the world in the same way that ashes and sparks are thrown from the fire when a strong wind blows. Shelley wants to be able to have his voice heard by people all over the world, to inspire future generations. At the end of the poem, Shelley once again addresses the wind, and asks it about the seasons: "O, Wind/If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?" Shelley recognizes the fact that even though nature "dies" in the winter, when spring comes, everything is reborn, and the world has a new start.

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