Sunday, September 11, 2011
Samuel Taylor Colerdige: The Eolian Harp
Taking this poem from the perspective of courtship (as a footnote to the poem suggests), I noticed how Coleridge uses the idea of Nature and the Eolian Harp ("lute") to show the love between humans while, at the same time, promoting its influence on such human interactions. However, strangely enough, I still cannot determine who best represents the lute in the poem. Is it the woman in a relationship who is being courted by the wind (man) or is it a representation of human relationships and how they are made more beautiful and produce harmony by the influence of Nature (the wind)? Clearly, the first eleven lines describe a man (presumably Coleridge) speaking to his lover, Sara. Then, from lines twelve through forty-eight, descriptions of natural beauties and of the music from the lute. The final lines seem to promote some integration of the lovers, Nature, and some god-like figure (which may be Nature itself). So, who or what is the lute representing?
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It is difficult to say with exactness what the lute, or Eolian Harp, represents because Coleridge uses it to convey a very conceptual idea of harmony. I think Warren correctly highlights the essential purpose of lute, connecting it to courtship, the harmony of nature and the integration of lovers under a God-like figure. However, when considering these ideas in association with each other, one may see how Coleridge attempts to liken the natural harmony of nature with the “natural” harmony of two lovers, joined, under God. Coleridge ponders, “what if all of animated nature / be but organic harps diversely framed / […] plastic and vast, one intellectual breeze, at once the Soul of each, and God of All;” he reveals a pensive moment of insight into the interconnectedness of the souls of all living things under God. In Coleridge’s attempt at courtship, he emphasizes that the joining of him and his lover will bring the beauteous harmony of nature to life.
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