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   This line occurs in the fourth stanza of the ode, where Shelley compares and contrasts the 'destroyer' west wind and the spring breeze the 'life giver.' The west wind is the 'destroyer' because it shakes down the ripe seeds from the plants and 'preserves' them by 'burying' them in the earth. The spring breeze which is warmed by the sun breathes life into these seeds and makes the entire English countryside to come alive in a riot of colour.

   In autumn the west wind shakes down all the mature and ripe seeds from the plants and carries them away and buries them in the earth. The seeds lie buried in the earth throughout the winter season like corpses in their graves. Once the cold dark winter season is over and the spring season begins, the sky turns blue with the first rays of the sun and the breeze of the season of spring - the life giving sisterly counterpart of the "wild west wind" the "destroyer" - blows throughout the English countryside making the seeds to sprout and the plants to bloom.

   The life giving breeze of the spring season makes all the seeds which have been buried in the earth during the winter season to bloom. Consequently, the entire English countryside - the hills and the plains- is transformed into a riot of colour and the whole atmosphere is filled with the scents of the budding flowers.

   Shelley compares the sight of the spring breeze blowing through the budding plants to the shepherd driving his flocks to graze in the open meadows.

   "in air" means 'in the open air' or 'outdoors.'

   Sources:

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   Posted by lit24 on Thursday July 16, 2009 at 7:50 AM