Husband of Mary Shelley who is the author of Frankenstein. (562).

Richards, Irving T. “A Note on Source Influences in Shelley's Cloud and Skylark.” PMLA, vol. 50, no. 2, 1935, pp. 562–567. www.jstor.org/stable/458158.

sublime is thought of as the excitement that comes from fearful events.

A deep red color.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/crimson?s=t

The cloud protects the earth and all that is on it from the suns harmful rays and from the moon. It is protecting the creation under its care. https://letterpile.com/poetry/Summary-of-The-Cloud-1820-by-Percy-Bysshe-Shelly

Her refers to the moon. The stars are like the children of the moon.

A strong body of water

http://www.yourdictionary.com/torrent#americanheritage

Describes the sky.

The edge of a mountain that sticks out.

http://www.yourdictionary.com/crag

The cloud protects the earth and all that is on it from the suns harmful rays and from the moon. It is protecting the creation under its care. https://letterpile.com/poetry/Summary-of-The-Cloud-1820-by-Percy-Bysshe-Shelly

The cloud changes and morphs over time but never disappears or can be destroyed. Its life cycle is one that is never ending but rather changing.

https://letterpile.com/poetry/Summary-of-The-Cloud-1820-by-Percy-Bysshe-Shelly

circular.

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/orb?s=t

cheerful, positive

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/sanguine?s=t

The cloud is not inclusive to just plants and animals. People experience the effects of the cloud as well.

Taylor, Beverly. “SHELLEY'S PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND THEMATIC CONCERNS IN ‘THE CLOUD.’” Interpretations, vol. 12, no. 1, 1980, pp. 70–75. www.jstor.org/stable/23240551.

The talk of storms in the poem is thought to be influenced by Robert Herrick's The Hag.

Richards, Irving T. “A Note on Source Influences in Shelley's Cloud and Skylark.” PMLA, vol. 50, no. 2, 1935, pp. 562–567. www.jstor.org/stable/458158.

The cloud is represented as an authority or mother figure taking care of the earth by bringing fresh water. Shelley is also scientifically backing up the cycle a cloud goes through by using weather to describe it.

Taylor, Beverly. “SHELLEY'S PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE AND THEMATIC CONCERNS IN ‘THE CLOUD.’” Interpretations, vol. 12, no. 1, 1980, pp. 70–75. www.jstor.org/stable/23240551.

During this time, scientists were studying electricity and were fascinated with idea of it being the source of life.

shocked

The middle of the day

The thirsting flowers need someone to look after them. They are delicate and need shelter along with water. The cloud becomes its caregiver.

Geraldine is found in the woods wearing a silken robe of white and speaks in a faint sweet voice. White represents purity. This is ironic because later it is found out that Geraldine is the opposite of sweet and pure.

Christabel "trimmed the lamp, and made it bright." Lamp trimmers were responsible for maintaining and cleaning oil lamps. They had to trim the wick that was inside the lamp. This could sometimes be a tricky job because the wick had to be trimmed a certain way so it would burn evenly.

There are many animal references in the poem. The Owlet, the dog barking, The bright green snake. The Dove. The palfrey. Animals can act as symbols. For instance, snakes are associated with evil while the dove is associated with peace and purity.

Geraldine is describing her terrible experience in the woods. She says the tallest of five men took her off the "palfrey's back". A palfrey was the name for a riding horse back in the middle ages. By Coleridge's use of words like palfrey it gives the sense that this poem takes place in the past. Possibly the middle ages.

Sir Leoline, Christabel's father is said to be the baron rich. A baron is a lord or nobleman. A baron owns land or is very powerful.

in lines 76-79 he is talking about a time in his life when he was sad, unhappy, and maybe even depressed. He thought that joy came from the finer (fancy) things in life. But now, he says that afflictions are holding him down. He now doesn't care that he has been robbed of his mirth (laughter, cheer, happiness) but he does not want to loose his creativity. He says (Line 85) each visitation suspends what nature gave him at birth (imagination).

In the first stanza, the moon is one of the main focuses. The moon is being used to predict the weather, in which it is "foretelling" a storm that will happen that consists of winds and rain. The proof for the storm is also in line 1, if the bard was weather wise in Sir Patrick Spence's ballad, then their indeed will be a storm and the moon is the predictor of that.

in lines 61-64 She writes about how the Swallow can leave for the winter and come back in the spring. It is always living in nice warm weather.(Also, The swallow is free to go wherever it pleases) In line 52 she describes it as having happier hours awake. This could be due to the amount of freedom the bird has.

In line 16, Smith is writing about a wise Indian. She describes where he lives as a "hermitage" (small and remote place) in the woods. So this wise Indian who lives in the woods is able to tell what the Swallow is chirping about, and he is able to tell very easily. Smith herself wishes she had the knowledge of the Indian sage to interpret what the bird is trying to communicate.

Barbauld is describing the sky at the end of the day. She begins by describing the sun as a “sultry tyrant” This tyrant has now passed and the stars are now able to come out along with the bright crescent. The way in which Barbauld writes brings life to the night sky. She gives the stars, the moon, and the sun a sort of animated expression. She has a sense of curiosity about space and how life and nature works. She says “I launch into the trackless deeps of space.” She wants to explore beyond earth and beyond what people are able to explore. She also wants to explore beyond what the human capacity allows. She says, “Here must I stop, or is there aught beyond?” So she is saying that maybe life beyond earth will let her explore space and be free to roam.<br> According to the Cambridge Guide to Women’s Writing in English, Barbauld gives a feminine feel to the stars and the moon when describing them. She even gives them female names like Venus and Dian. A Summer Evening’s Meditation follows an Anne Finch writing (Eger). Barbauld’s poems are written well and it is easy to tell that she was also educated. One line in particular that shows this is “She mused away the gaudy hours of noon” The Oxford English Dictionary defines mused as confused or to ponder and defines gaudy as luxurious. So she is thinking about the obnoxious time of the day when the sun is hot and it is miserable due to the heat. Knowing what words mean and knowing what context they are used in is key to understanding the author and the meaning behind their writings. The sheer complexity of the poem calls for critical analysis of the words used. This is a poem that requires time to read and think about. Once the poem is more clearly understood, it makes it easier to appreciate what Barbauld is saying.