Colerige’s the Eolian Harp

A single inanimate object, The Eolian Harp, sends Coleridge flitting in, out, over and through introspection. The trajectory of the poem may be plotted as follows: terrestrial observations, fixation upon single terrestrial item (i.e. the harp), exulting single item into transcendence, an astral purview of the terrestrial via the item, reassessment of mind frame, guilt and denunciation of transcendent thought, and finally, remorse and

dismissal of all preceding drivel (as to adequately and respectfully embrace the noumenal realm). Coleridge’s brain waves wend in a circuitous manner, however, the final result is a sentiment-shift regarding man’s position before (or, as Coleridge concludes, beneath) God.

Stanza one proffers an apostrophic dupe, as Coleridge calls out to his “pensive Sara”. Pedestrian predictability would indicate an amorous ode, perhaps asserting (due regard given to the title) that Sara is a form of caution thrown to the wind, thus generating sweet music from aforementioned harp. This is immediately proven incorrect, as seen in the succeeding lines. The first stanza curtails with a descriptive rant, offering a sense of conviction, as though it be a poem unto itself. Lines 10 through 12 read: Snatched from yon bean-field! and the world so hushed!/The stilly murmur of the distant sea/Tells us of silence/. The barrage of exclamation in concomitance with mentions of silence serve as a paradox which ultimately muzzles narration. “Silence” is apropos in halting a poem, as logic indicates that once a poem reaches its end, the mind ceases churning and goes “silent”. However, in this instance, it may be construed as poetic device. Acknowledging that the poem (both literally and figuratively) chimes on, the remaining syllables curiously missing from line 12 are transferred to line 13: /And that simplest lute,/. Coleridge once again takes possession of his narrative, linking the two stanzas with a conjunction. Moreover, this line seethes with audible sound, the only tangibly present noun being

“lute”.

Here, with the commencement of Stanza 2, Coleridge begins to divest himself of earthly bodies as to become engrossed in the harp’s presence. First, the harp is only stationed atop the window’s sill. Gradually, Coleridge introduces the components necessary for the harp to function. At line 20, audio faculties are validated with the “soft floating witchery of sound. “Soft” and “floating” generally denote gentility, whereas

“witchery” can indicate malevolent sorcery. Furthermore, “sound” in its sense bears a

broad definition; spanning from cacophony to plain old presence-of. By and large, this dubiousness, as the reader shall discover, reflects the tone of the entire poem.

Fostering the aforementioned sorcery, while acting as Coleridge’s catapult into celestial dealings, is Line 21. Coleridge allows himself to be captured by the “sound” in Line 20 and is therefore ousted from a grounded reality. Lines 21 through 24 read: /As twilight Elfins make, when they at eve/Voyage on gentle gales from Fairy-Land/Where Melodies round honey-dripping flowers,/Footless and wild, like birds of Paradise,/. The orbital shift is blaringly ostensible, beginning with the introduction of “Elfins”. These mischievous fairies (as they are widely thought to be) personify the product of breeze and harp. Additionally, there appears to be a linkage between Elfins, Fairy-Land, Melodies,

and Paradise - all employing the use of capitalization, which would implicate a stress of

importance. To compute this syllogistically: The Elfins (breeze), indigenous to Fairy-Land (the physical harp), coagulate into Melodies, thus creating a sonic Paradise. Contextually, this appears nonsensical; yet it is at the very pith of Coleridge’s sentiment concerning the harp and its wonderment (upon which he chooses to ‘harp’, albeit for a brief stint as the reader shall soon see).

The dramatic conversion of thought is first made apparent in Line 26: /O the life within us and abroad/. In deliverance, this line emerges rather peculiar, considering the style Coleridge has previous employed. A reader would expect to be met with an exclamation at line’s, or perhaps even stanza’s, end. This would serve to relate an

emphatic zeal, which is now notably absent. Thus, a reader may conclude that Coleridge’s great epiphany is one of great calm and divorced from all mortal urgency. The remainder of Stanza 2 is dedicated to this revelation [that being justification of (the capitalized) “Music” (contained within Line 33) as an espouser of life) in extended reverie.

Stanza 3 marks the return of Coleride from his “idle phantasies” (so termed in Line 34), as he once