ends uplifting, focusing only on the happiness of another. what is the implication of this? has Coleridge found some understanding in his emotional journey? does he know the right tools and strategies to find Joy and Imagination again? or can he only keep fighting and wish for others to never face this same agitation?

in the end, wishes that lover or friend does not ponder over such challenging thoughts as he does; wishes her peace and calm despite his own distress

sad and eerie and melancholic -- does Coleridge feel like this child, lost and without support? has he climbed himself out of this state of desperation and isolation?

thought to be a code reference to a precursor poem (replaced first "William's self" and later "thou thyself")

exclamation makes this "scream of agony by torture" seem like a pleasure, because he can finally delight in it and not feel numb

But do not worry! Because expectedly, we have a mood switch! Here Coleridge turns strongly away from those "viper" sinful and strangulating thoughts and decides to listen to the wind of the beginning, exalt in the emotive storm

depression is something that infects and inhabits the whole body until it becomes the makeup of daily life (this is some dark stuff)

cannot think of anything original, must instead revert to being inspired by others work (is this a critique of poems that are directly influenced by works of others?)

each time he is visited by depression, he loses his sense of imagination and creativity (perhaps this is the worse impact of them all)

this is such a fascinating pair of lines. the first, though meant to portray the budding fruitfulness of hope (perhaps the vine is meant to seem supportive and all-encompassing?) feels restrictive and tight to me (via visual imagery). and the second line, of taking in happiness via the success and happiness of others, reminds me of the core message: how does one find happiness? and how does one achieve joy? can one achieve sustainable and real joy through the happiness of others even when one is not truly happy themselves? connection to successful and stable relationships

was able to overcome unhappiness, challenges manageable when joyous

joy is most important, all else stems from joy

i.e. the sinful -- seems that Coleridge does not count himself among these

two interpretations: 1) again, joy via nature 2) the love overseen by Nature greater than that conferred upon us by society (i.e. he wills the love he has for his old lover to overcome the societal pressures of marriage and family structure)

"Fair luminous mist" again as a religious / spiritual reference, reminder that happiness can be found via glory to god

Song of Joy (in Hebrew there are many ways to classify songs -- my mom's name means exactly this type of song, a song of rejoicing)

Voice of Jesus? This is somewhat Iike what I imagine:

Though that image feels oddly ominous to me

voice of God, or at least some type of biblical allusion here (announcement / ringing of angels)

The soul (esp. the soul connected with god and heaven and religion) the purest love of all

And... a new emotional state. Trying to shake himself out of the funk, attempting to remind himself of things most important. Why address the lady in this? Reminder of others and an audience a good way to de-funk?

No longer beginning with intense commas, a new variation on sadness and depression and transition away from anxiety-fueled panic of losing touch with what previously made him happy.

Rhyme in this section is also pretty consistent (fail avail; breast west; win within) and paints this sadness as one more familiar and more long-term and crushing

Nature the only true love; trying to remind himself of that which truly matters

Cannot find meaning from another (whether that be a lover, society, or the natural world). Happiness only comes from within and from one's own balance (in line with today's emotional psychology; interesting how so many years pass and our understanding of achieving happiness remains constant [even if not professionally])

Great Gatsby vibes

Consider how Coleridge rethinks and reinteracts with his own ideas -- try to chart his varying emotional state throughout this ode. Does he have a clear path from depression/disconnection to happiness/oneness? How does he justify his emotions or attempt to rationalize them?

depression

Connection to Astrophel & Stella (love / desire is sometimes strong and other times weak, but always present) -- also, source of emotions always present, even if he cannot connect to them at times

seeing but not understanding or connecting

A sunrise? hope on the horizon? Extreme contrast from storm before -- displaying that even in both extremes of emotion (anger and upset vs. happiness and calm), Coleridge can connect to neither

Everything has lost its sting (better to feel something than nothing at all) = value of melancholy, in line with other romantic thinkers of the time

Describing his current emotional state. Examine shift here with second section: how does each stanza change with the mood, especially in regards to rhythm and flow? 1) More commas here, esp. makes tone feel tighter and more panicked

Now frustrated in lack of ability to connect and be moved in the same way. Cannot see the beauty in the storm (appreciate melancholy or unhappy emotions as he might have in the past, both as artist and human)

Used to be "awed" by the storm and aware of the beauty and wonder of nature (and by continuation the world around him)... but no longer. see below:

Either content with new lover (if New-moon = new life) or sees change on the horizon as optimistic

Personification of wind as melancholy and sad rather than aggressive

Poet unroused by winds? Coleridge no longer connecting to / finding emotion in nature

Storm no longer to come (will not be fighting for his lover?) Or simply no longer willing to make it through the night

Hindsight

Immediately draws us into the poem, tone of sarcasm and criticism

This sentence alone makes me think of seeing his lover in the arms of another

Who is the new Moon? Is she a good omen or a bad omen, if she brings with her storms?

If "she" is a lover, is Coleridge happy to be replacing the "old moon"? Moons often associated with femininity but also waxing and waning, cycle of emotions

“The Wreck” (c.1835) by Knud-Andreassen Baade (1808-1879) I love this painting -- it's from the Romantic era and I think it really captures the feeling of the deadly storm and the natural elements of the poem

A Scottish maritime ballad about a disaster at sea, shared orally over generations much like a fairytale

A lyric poem, often addressing someone or something. There are 3 main types of odes -- this one is a Pindaric (the original form), characterized by a strophe, antistrophe, and epode (slight rhyme variations)

Sad/depressed state

I always find background information on the author useful to place his themes and ideas in context. In the case of Coleridge, his love life is particularly pertinent to this poem. The English author (1772-1834) was friends w/ Wordsworth and was a founding Romantic as well as a member of the Lake Poets (a poetry society). He went to the University of Cambridge with the intent to study religion (clear from the themes in his other works, esp. Rime) but eventually turned to philosophy and writing. While in college he fell in love with Mary Evan's, the older sister of a classmate, but when he moved to Wales briefly to study she married another. He returned and married due to societal pressure and was never content in his marriage or family life.