Samuel Coleridge
Samuel Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridgewas an English poet, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He wrote the poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan, as well as the major prose work Biographia Literaria. His critical work, especially on Shakespeare, was highly influential, and he helped introduce German idealist philosophy to English-speaking culture. Coleridge coined many familiar words and phrases,...
gross seen shown support tolerance
I have seen gross intolerance shown in support of tolerance
ancient fear skinny thy
I fear thee, ancient Mariner! / I fear thy skinny hand!
counted seventy several
I counted two and seventy stenches, / All well defined, and several stinks!
bones good soul sword
The Knight's bones are dust, / And his good sword rust; - / His soul is with the saints, I trust.
contrary dialects dreams far images language less various
The Language of the Dream/Night is contrary to that of Waking/Day. It is a language of Images and Sensations, the various dialects of which are far less different from each other, than the various Day-Languages of Nations.
cracked ice noises
The ice was here, the ice was there, / The ice was all around; / It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, / Like noises in a swound!
circle close drunk eyes floating hath holy milk round weave
And all should cry, Beware! Beware! / His flashing eyes, his floating hair! / Weave a circle round him thrice, / And close your eyes with holy dread, / For he on honey-dew hath fed, / And drunk the milk of Paradise.
came floating green
And ice, mast-high, came floating by, / As green as emerald.
feed ministers mortal sacred whatever
All thoughts, all passions, all delights, whatever stirs this mortal frame, all are but ministers of love, and feed his sacred flame.
caves miracle rare sunny
It was a miracle of rare device, a sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!
breeze burst fair followed silent white
The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, / The furrow followed free; / We were the first that ever burst / Into that silent sea.