The poem “Frost at Midnight” was written in the year 1798 while
“Dejection: an Ode” was written in 1802. These two poems by S.T. Coleridge
portray two different states of the poet’s mind and reflect different
experiences he had at different stages of his life.
“Frost at Midnight” speaks about Coleridge’s newfound passion in the
natural world and his longing for his son Hartley to grow up in a natural
environment. The poem presents a beautiful image of the poet’s mind in the form
of a chain of thoughts. The poem is set in the midst of a frosty night when the
poet is sitting silently in his cottage musing upon his relentless thoughts.
While the frost quietly spreads over the landscape the occasional
screeching of the owl is the only sound disturbing the silence of the night.
Every person living in the poet’s cottage is asleep, so are all the villagers.
The hills, woods and the sea are silent and still. The poet is sitting beside
his infant son Hartley sleeping peacefully in his cradle. The poet finds the
silence and the stillness of the night nearly disturbing until he discovers the
low blue flame flickering in the fireplace, the only other moving thing besides
him. The poet finds companionship in the flame and slowly his thoughts begin to
wander.
“Frost at Midnight was written when Coleridge described his life at
Christ Hospital Grammar School to his friend Thomas Poole. The poet remembers
his childhood and his days in school. He used to look outside through the bars
of the window to gaze upon a ‘fluttering stranger’ a bird, a butterfly or any
such winged creature which captures a child’s attention. Then with this
fluttering stranger his mind would fly to the fair and he could hear the
tolling of the church bell, a sound which reminds him of things to come. Coleridge’s
remembrance of the past presents before the readers a beautiful image of a
child’s mind which wanders away from his book and his daydreams gradually make
him sleepy allowing him to continue with his reverie. The poet uses the word
‘swimming’ to show the child losing interest, attention and focus over his
textbook such that it appears to be floating before his eyes. Coleridge
remembers himself gazing out of the door hoping to see a familiar face- a townsman,
an aunt or his sister to pass by.
The later part of the poem reflects Coleridge’s newfound interest in the
beauty of nature which is a result of the detailed description of the Lake District
presented to him by William Wordsworth. Coleridge addresses Hartley his son who
is asleep and whose gentle breathing can be heard in the quiet of the night.
Coleridge laments that he did not have the opportunity to grow up amidst
nature. He says that growing up amongst
the dim cloisters of London the only beautiful things he saw are the sky and
the stars. But he wants his son to grow up in the lap of nature. Coleridge
views nature as a ‘great universal teacher’. He feels awed and inspired amidst
nature. He wants his son to grow up in a nature environment away from the city
and learn new and different things. This poem strongly emphasizes on Coleridge’s
belief in nature as a teaching, healing and inspiring power.
“Dejection: An Ode” presents a contrast to Coleridge’s belief in
nature’s power of inspiration as he shows in “Frost at Midnight”. This poem was
written by Coleridge when he was suffering from a deep emotional depression and
lack of imaginative and creative inspiration. The poem mainly deals with the
theme of death of imagination and reflects Coleridge’s new philosophy about
nature and its ability to inspire.
“Dejection: An Ode” describes the poet’s inability to find inspiration
in nature. In this poem he addresses Sarah Hutchinson, the lady whom he loved
but could not marry. Coleridge begins the poem by referring to the “Ballad of
Sir Patrick Spence”. The poet of the ballad predicts a storm observing the new
moon in the sky which has appeared along with the outline of the old moon
visible around it. Coleridge says that he sees a similar moon in the sky and
predicts a storm. But even as the rain starts pouring and the wind starts to
blow, the poet fails to find it awe inspiring as he did before. Instead he only
feels a dull pain in his heart. This shows that the poet can still derive
knowledge from natural phenomena but he fails to find any kind of inspiration
from them. The poet describes his inability to imagine as “grief without pang”
which is like a “void”. The dull pain which he feels is constant and he cannot
find any means of relieving himself of his emotions. He addresses his lady and
says that no matter how much he looks into nature he fails to feel its beauty.
However Coleridge finally comes to a realization. He says – “I may not
hope from outward forms to win/ The passions of life whose fountains are
within”. These lines mark Coleridge’s new philosophy. He realizes that
inspiration lies not in nature but in the human mind. If the mind is capable of
seeing nature as an inspiration only then nature can inspire. It depends
completely upon the imaginative capacity of the individual. Nature remains
unchanging regardless of human life. It is an open book for the mind to
interpret. For this reason nature has different effects on different people. It
deeply affects certain minds while fails to touch others.
Coleridge finds that it is joy within his heart that allows him to find
joy in nature. Nature returns to us only what we give to it. A sad heart will
thus only gain sorrow from nature. Coleridge reminisces of the time when his
heart was full of joy and it helped him to fight distress. But with growing
depression his power of imagination has diminished. Coleridge refers to his
negative thoughts as “viper” to emphasize the poisonous nature of their impact
upon his life. The depression in his mind leads him to see violence and sorrow
in nature. He feels that the wind blowing outside is carrying tragic sounds and
groans of pain. He is unable to sleep. But he wishes that sleep may visit his
lady with “wings of healing”. Although he cannot feel any joy within himself he
wishes his lady all the joy in the world.
The two poems show certain similarities. They are both conversation
poems – the first addressing his son Hartley and the second addressing his lady
love Sarah Hutchinson. Coleridge’s attitude towards these people is also quite
similar. He wishes his son to grow up amidst nature as he understands the
importance of nature in a person’s life which he was deprived of. Similarly he
wishes Sarah all the joy the world can provide while he himself could not find
it.
The major difference between “Frost at Midnight” and “Dejection: An Ode”
is Coleridge’s attitude towards nature. “Frost at Midnight” shows his complete
faith upon nature as a teacher, healer and inspirer. But after facing a deep
mental depression he realizes that it is the power of imagination that allows
nature to heal and inspire. “Frost at Midnight” shows a reflection of the
Romantic ideals about nature whereas “Dejection: An ode” shows a break from the
tradition where Coleridge finds his new philosophy which differs completely
from the established Romantic notions.
