The
Devil's Thoughts
by
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
(Poem, Summary, & Analysis)
The
Devil's Thoughts
From
his brimstone bed at break of day
A
walking the DEVIL is gone,
To
visit his little snug farm of the earth
And
see how his stock went on.
Over
the hill and over the dale,
And
he went over the plain,
And
backward and forward he swished his long tail
As a
gentleman swishes his cane.
And
how then was the Devil drest?
Oh!
he was in his Sunday's best:
His
jacket was red and his breeches were blue,
And
there was a hole where the tail came through.
He
saw a LAWYER killing a Viper
On a
dung heap beside his stable,
And
the Devil smiled, for it put him in mind
Of
Cain and _his_ brother, Abel.
A
POTHECARY on a white horse
Rode
by on his vocations,
And
the Devil thought of his old Friend
DEATH
in the Revelations.
He
saw a cottage with a double coach-house,
A
cottage of gentility!
And
the Devil did grin, for his darling sin
Is
pride that apes humility.
He
went into a rich bookseller's shop,
Quoth
he! we are both of one college,
For
I myself sate like a cormorant once
Fast
by the tree of knowledge.
Down
the river there plied, with wind and tide,
A
pig with vast celerity;
And
the Devil look'd wise as he saw how the while,
It
cut its own throat. "There!" quoth he with a smile,
"Goes
'England's commercial prosperity.'"
As
he went through Cold-Bath Fields he saw
A
solitary cell;
And
the Devil was pleased, for it gave him a hint
For
improving his prisons in Hell.
* *
* * * *
General
----------- burning face
He
saw with consternation,
And
back to hell his way did he take,
For
the Devil thought by a slight mistake
It
was general conflagration.
Summary
Stanzas
1–2: The Devil Sets Out on His Journey
The
poem begins with the Devil waking up at dawn from his bed of brimstone in Hell.
He decides to visit Earth—described humorously as his “little snug farm”—to see
how things are going with the people there, as if they are livestock he's
raising. He travels over various landscapes—hill, dale, and plain—flicking his
tail with flair, much like a gentleman twirling his cane, establishing a
whimsical but satirical tone.
Stanzas
3–4: The Devil's Attire
The
Devil is described in his "Sunday's best" attire—stylish and
well-groomed. His appearance is dignified and almost charming, with fine
clothes, a cocked hat, and gold-embroidered waistcoat. This creates a strong
contrast between his evil nature and his elegant outward appearance,
reinforcing the poem’s ironic tone.
Stanzas
5–6: Observing Professionals
As
he roams the Earth, the Devil observes various members of human
society—lawyers, judges, and doctors. He sees that many of these respected
professionals are corrupt and self-serving. Lawyers manipulate justice, judges
condemn with calm indifference, and doctors are more interested in fees than
healing. The Devil is pleased to find their actions aligned with his own
values.
Stanzas
7–9: Hypocrisy and Moral Decay
The
Devil notes how society often honors those who do evil under the guise of
respectability. Many people exploit power, deceive others, or justify cruelty,
all while maintaining a socially acceptable appearance. This hypocrisy delights
the Devil, who finds that his influence thrives without resistance.
Stanzas
10–12: Encounter with a Madman
The
Devil comes across a madman confined in an asylum. Curiously, the man speaks
honestly and clearly, shocking the Devil. The implication is that truth is so
rare and out of place in the world that one who speaks it is considered insane.
This moment emphasizes the poem's satirical critique of how society values
conformity and deception over truth and sanity.
Stanza
13: The Devil's Satisfaction
Having
observed all this, the Devil is highly satisfied. Humanity is so deeply
immersed in vice, falsehood, and self-interest that his own efforts seem
unnecessary. Evil is thriving without his direct involvement, making his visit
more of a pleasure trip than a mission.
Stanza
14: The Devil Laughs
As
he finishes his tour, the Devil laughs gleefully, leaps into the air, and
reflects with satisfaction on what he has seen. He knows that human beings are
doing his work for him, almost instinctively. This stanza was the original
ending, highlighting the poem’s grim irony—that the Devil has little to do
because mankind has embraced evil independently.
Stanza
15 (Added Later by Southey): A Comic Twist
And
back to hell his way did he take,
For
the Devil thought by a slight mistake
It
was general conflagration.
In
this added stanza, the Devil suddenly retreats back to Hell, believing there
has been a “general conflagration”—a massive, all-consuming fire, possibly
Judgment Day. This humorous twist suggests that some chaotic event on Earth
briefly startled him. It softens the tone of the original ending and adds a
comic punchline, in keeping with Southey’s lighter style.
Overall
Summary
The
Devil's Thoughts is a satirical and ironic poem that critiques human society by
showing how easily evil flourishes without direct satanic interference. The
Devil finds humanity riddled with greed, hypocrisy, and moral corruption. The
final stanza adds a playful, almost slapstick conclusion to an otherwise sharp
social commentary.
Analysis
in Detail
Overview
Written
in 1799 (and later revised by Coleridge and Southey), The Devil’s Thoughts is a
satirical poem that presents the Devil as a genteel observer of human society.
Through his journey on Earth, the poem exposes the corruption, hypocrisy, and
moral decay in the world—especially among those who hold power and status. It
critiques the institutions of law, medicine, religion, and governance using
humor and irony, with the Devil ironically horrified or amused by how well
humans have adopted his ways.
Tone
and Mood
Tone:
Satirical, ironic, and playful, but with a sharp moral undercurrent.
Mood:
At first humorous and whimsical, but gradually turning into a disturbing
reflection on society’s ills.
Coleridge
adopts a mock-genteel tone to portray the Devil—he’s well-dressed, courteous,
and reflective, rather than monstrous. This contrast adds to the biting irony
of the poem.
Themes
1.
Hypocrisy in Society
The
Devil’s observations reveal the double standards and moral failures of human
beings. He finds that:
Judges
hang people while pretending to serve justice.
Lawyers
twist the law for profit.
Doctors
care more for money than patients.
Religious
leaders preach piety but live indulgently.
This
shows how the very people trusted to uphold virtue are often the most corrupt.
2.
The Devil as a Mirror of Mankind
Rather
than influencing people toward evil, the Devil finds that humans are already
practicing evil of their own accord. He is an amused onlooker rather than an
instigator. This reverses the traditional idea of temptation—it’s not the Devil
corrupting man, but man willingly embracing corruption.
3.
Appearance vs Reality
People
wear respectable appearances—fine clothes, positions of authority—but
underneath lies selfishness and vice. The Devil himself, despite being evil
incarnate, dresses in “Sunday’s best,” mirroring this hypocrisy. The poem
critiques how society often judges by appearance rather than substance.
4.
Critique of Institutions
Coleridge
delivers a scathing satire of 18th-century British society:
Law
becomes a tool for injustice.
Medicine
becomes business.
Religion
becomes hollow ritual. This reflects Romanticism’s concern with personal
integrity and distrust of institutional authority.
Structure
and Form
The
poem is written in quatrains (four-line stanzas) with a regular ABCB rhyme
scheme.
Rhythm:
The poem has a playful, bouncy meter, often anapestic or iambic, giving it a
nursery-rhyme feel. This makes the dark subject matter more ironic.
Example:
“From
his brimstone bed at break of day / A walking the Devil is gone, / To visit his
snug little farm of the earth / And see how his stock went on.”
This
sing-song rhythm contrasts with the sinister themes, enhancing the satire.
Language
and Imagery
Irony:
Central to the poem’s effect. The Devil is civilized; humans are brutal.
Personification:
The Devil is not a monster but a gentleman—charming, articulate, and
reflective.
Visual
imagery: Vivid descriptions of clothing, the Devil’s tail swishing like a cane,
and the madman in the asylum help the reader visualize the satire.
Symbolism:
The
Devil's Tail: A parody of human vanity and status symbols.
Sunday’s
best: Reflects outward piety masking inward corruption.
Madman
in the asylum: A symbol of truth being considered madness in a corrupt world.
Satire
and Social Critique
Coleridge
uses the Devil as a literary device to hold a mirror to human civilization. The
Devil does not need to corrupt humans—they do it themselves. By dressing evil
in civility, and showing moral figures as evil, Coleridge attacks the moral
failures of society. The real horror is not in Hell, but in the hearts of men.
Philosophical
& Religious Undertones
Coleridge
subtly draws from Christian concepts:
The
Devil is traditionally the great tempter, yet here he’s redundant.
Humanity
has embraced sin so fully that Hell is hardly needed anymore.
There's
a deep moral pessimism here: if even the Devil is impressed by human evil, what
hope remains?
Final
Thought:
The
Devil’s Thoughts blends humor with profound moral commentary. Coleridge
cleverly uses the Devil as both a character and a lens through which to
critique a world that has normalized greed, injustice, and hypocrisy. The
poem’s light verse masks a deep unease about the moral state of society—a
hallmark of Coleridge’s genius.
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