Written by: lalaland
Lines Written in Early Spring – William Wordsworth The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Part 4) – Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Early 19th Century witnessed the dawning of a new era of poets known as the Romantics. With leaders such as Jean Jacques Rousseau, William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the world of poetry was now bursting with what these poets considered as ‘real emotions’. Their idea of poetry, in contrast to the previous neo-classic poets’, allowed for the free flow of sentiment, encouraging a response from the soul, not the brain. In their poems, the poets were able to create vivid images using simple middle class language, with tasteful descriptions. Two very famous poems written during this time -period are Lines Written in Early Spring by William Wordsworth, and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Both poems, arising from the same time-period are similar in the manner with which the poets have composed them, but highly contrast each other with respect to the subject matter, the form of poetic diction that is used, the mood built up and the images and symbols that are used.
The Romantics did not constrict themselves to themes that the elitists conferred, but explored the lives of the middle to lower class people, and opened their eyes to the nature that was living around them. The poem lines Written in Early Spring expresses one person’s experience as he sits in an orchard, in the midst of nature. He then begins to reflect on this sight, and ponders over a few of his thoughts. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner however, illustrates the voyage of a sailor out at sea. As he relates it to a wedding guest, he describes how his boat gets lost astray in a fog, with the crew’s only guidance being an albatross that leads them out of their perils. The seaman then goes on to explain how in spite of the bird’s service to the crew, he shoots the albatross, ending its life. This however does not improve their situation, for the wind has died out, and they are once again hopelessly lost. The fourth section of the poem portrays the mariner, on the verge of death, as he slowly begins to feel a small hope of light.
Poets of the Romantic period worked endlessly at creating a certain mood, or atmosphere that lingered through the poem. While lines Written in Early Spring develops a light, blissful ambience, the Rime of the Ancient Mariner employs a darker, more dower tone. Through his poem, Wordsworth uses phrases such as ‘I heard a thousand blended notes’ while ‘the birds around me hopped and played’ to illustrate the joyful serenity surrounding him. Even when expressing his thought ‘Have I not reason to lament what man has made of man?’ Wordsworth does not directly describe the grief and pain that man has created, but allows the reader’s mind to imagine that strife. He takes an effort not to disturb the merry flow of the poem, while hinting at his thoughts on the relationship between mankind and humanity. Coleridge, on the other hand, takes great pains in sustaining a gloomy, bleak atmosphere. He portrays the sailor as ‘Alone, alone, all, all alone’ where ‘never a saint took pity on my soul in agony’ as he lay there with the ‘rotting sea’ and the ‘rotting deck’. Although, towards the final paragraphs of the section, Coleridge does introduce a slightly lighter image as he envisages the water snakes as they swim with a ‘flash of golden fire’ that encourages ‘a spring of love’ that ‘gushed from my heart.’
One of the most prominent styles of the Romantics was the simple yet effective poetic diction the poets used to capture the true essence of the poem. In Lines Written in Early Spring, Wordsworth personifies the creatures around him, as ‘the periwinkle trailed its wreaths’, the birds ‘hopped and played’ and the ‘the budding twigs spread out their fan, to catch the breezy air.’ Through personification, Wordsworth is able visualize nature in a more human-like form, as he provides it with certain characteristics. This personification aids the reader in being able to witness the link that Wordsworth feels between man and nature. In contrast to Wordsworth’s form of poetic diction, Coleridge harnesses figurative phrases to exemplify the images that he portrays. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner includes phrases such as ‘the rotting sea’ and the ‘rotting deck’ where ‘the dead mean lay’, using the word ‘rotting’ to describe the sea and the deck, which very aptly portrays the sailor who, sick of the sea and dead men around him, perceives the two as putrid and decaying. The persona then describes ‘a wicked whisper’ that ‘came, and made my heart as dry as dust.’ Here Coleridge refers to the despair that fills the mariner, and desiccated any hope of anyone rescuing the anguished seaman.
The Romantic period was renowned for the imagery and symbolism that the poets very artistically ingrained into the words. Wordsworth’s Lines Written in Early Spring reveals images of the peacefulness and harmony present in nature when he hears ‘a thousand blended notes’, and a brighter happy-go-lucky image, when the birds ‘hopped and played’. Wordsworth however, reveals his true message through the lines
And ‘tis my faith that every flower Enjoys the air it breathes….
If this belief from heaven be sent, If such be Nature’s holy plan, Have I not reason to lament What man has made of man?
The flower enjoying the air it breathes in the first paragraph is a symbol for Nature, and the composure with which she exists. Wordsworth believes that Nature teaches us a lesson that life should be lived in tranquility, and serenity. Yet on observing the conditions of our World today with wars, famine and suffering, Wordsworth remarks, ‘have I not reason to lament what man has made of man?’ Coleridge, on the contrary develops a less lively image, using descriptions such as ‘thy skinny hand so brown’ to illustrate the Seaman’s hand, and ‘the cold sweat’ that ‘melted from the limbs of the dead bodies’ to portray the dead sea crew that still lie on the deck, without decaying. The most significant image that Coleridge describes is when ‘the Albatross fell off, and sank like lead into the sea’. Literally, one would imagine the albatross actually falling off the neck of the sailor and into the sea, but symbolically, Coleridge hints at the breaking of the curse that had befallen the mariner when he shot the bird.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth were two of the leading poets pioneering the Romantic period. They often worked together, going on tours around Europe. Regardless of their close connection, the two of them composed poetry that varied so much. This is merely one example of how differently each poet expressed himself. Even though they utilized the basic style of the period, using free expression and simple language, the poets were able to develop their poems into two highly contrasting images.