By comparing these two poems, we can find many similarities, as well as many differences. These two authors, William Wordsworth and Percy Bysshe Shelley have written two seemingly similar odes to a skylark, but when we dwell into details, we find two distinct pieces of poetry.

First of all let’s take the form of the two poems. Shelley’s poem has 21 stanzas, each with 5 lines, while Wordsworth poem has 4 stanzas, but is less “organized”, meaning that the number of lines differs in each stanza from 6 to 10 lines. Shelley’s “To a Skylark” strictly follows the same pattern: the first four lines of the stanza are metered in trochaic trimeter, the fifth in iambic hexameter. Shelley’s poems rhyme scheme is very easy to understand – ababb, which appears in all of the poems stanzas. Wordsworth’s rhyme scheme is again a bit more scattered, than Shelley’s, so it is hard to establish a firm scheme that repeats throughout the poem. One more difference that can be brought out is the fact, that every last line of Shelley’s poem is considerably longer, than the others. So from that, I can say that the form of the two poems is entirely different.

If we compare the writing style of the two poems, we see that both authors have chosen different ways to express their thoughts, but still the outcome is basically the same. Shelley has written his poem in a more “anonymous” style, by passing on his thoughts as the thoughts of a random poet, who admires the skylark. Wordsworth, in the other hand has chosen the way of speaking his own thoughts, the narrator therefore being himself.  Both authors use a lot of metaphors, especially Shelley. “Happy, happy Liver” and “blithe spirit” are one of the many metaphors, in which the authors have meant the skylark.

The meaning of the poem is surprisingly similar – both poets are praising the skylark. Shelley and Wordsworth are both especially bringing out the beautiful song of the skylark. Wordsworth writes: “There is madness about thee, and joy divine, in that song of thine” or “For thy song, Lark, is strong”, both referring to the beautiful song of the lark, which is divine in his ears. Similarly to Wordsworth, Shelley writes in his poem: “I have never heard, praise of love or wine, what panted forth a flood of rapture so divine” saying again that his ears haven’t heard anything so beautiful and divine, than the sweet song of the skylark.  

Both authors are envying the skylark and wishing they had its abilities. “Lift me, guide me till I find, that spot which seems so to thy mind” in Wordsworth version and “Teach us, sprite or bird, what sweet thoughts are thine” in Shelley’s refer to the fact, that both authors are wishing that skylark could teach them its “supernatural powers”.

From both poems, we can read out the religious wording, which express both author’s world views, in detail, those which are related with religion.”Pouring out praise to the Almighty Giver” from Wordsworth poem clearly refers to god and “that from Heaven, or near it” from Shelley’s poem, refers to the heaven, specifically heaven in Christian concept. By mixing Heaven into the poem, which is entirely naturalistic, he tries to state that heaven and nature together create a complete harmony.

In conclusion, I can say that in form, the poems are completely different, but in content and style, the poems are in fact quite similar.