In “Zephyr,” the west wind becomes an almost human companion. It shows up unannounced, sings beneath the speaker’s arms, and pauses; the speaker offers to finish its wandering song. Next the wind appears as a smiling beauty who asks to hide with him under the roses. Then it returns sighing and sad, and the speaker answers with a golden story, and the two fly off into the Palace of the Sun.
The mood is dreamy, intimate, and a little fleeting. There is playfulness in the singing and smiling, but also a current of melancholy in the doleful sighing. The speaker seems enchanted by the wind, gently trying to comfort it and join its movement. The poem feels like a short, soft escape into light, flowers, and sunlight.