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Ode to the West Wind

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This large scale mural on the wall of a Georgian house in Soho was inspired by a poem by Percey Bysshe Shelley.

“O WILD West Wind, thou breath of Autumn’s being—
Thou from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,
Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,
Pestilence-stricken multitudes! “

Shelley lived for a while in Soho, around the corner from the mural at 15 Poland Street, though this particular poem was written in 1819 near Florence.

The mural was painted by London Wall Mural group in 1989, led by artist Louise Vines. In addition to Shelley’s influence this piece may also refer to the Great Storm of 1987, a hurricane which crossed the South of England with winds up to 120 mph, killing 18 people and toppling an estimated 15 million trees.

Linked to Monday Mural.

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