The Foster Mother's Tale. A Dramatic Fragment by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Poem, Summary, & Analysis)

 

The Foster Mother's Tale. A Dramatic Fragment

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

(Poem, Summary, & Analysis) 

The Foster Mother's Tale. A Dramatic Fragment

Ter. But that entrance, Selma?

Sel. Can no one hear? It is a perilous tale!

Ter. No one.

Sel.            My husband's father told it me,

Poor old Sesina -- angels rest his soul;

He was a woodman, and could fell and saw

With lusty arm.  You know that huge round beam

Which props the hanging wall of the old chapel?

Beneath that tree, while yet it was a tree,

He found a baby wrapped in mosses, lined

With thistle-beards, and such small locks of wool

As hang on brambles.  Well, he brought him home,

And reared him at the then Lord Valdez' cost,

And so the babe grew up a pretty boy,

A pretty boy, but nost unteachable--

And never learn'd a prayer, nor told a bead,

But knew the names of birds, and mocked their notes,

And whistled, as he were a bird himself.

And all the autumn 'twas his only play

To gather seeds of wild flowers, and to plant them

With earth and water on the stumps of trees.

A Friar, who gathered simples in the wood,

A gray-haired man, he loved this little boy:

The boy loved him, and, when the Friar taught him,

He soon could write with the pen; and from that time

Lived chiefly at the convent or the castle.

So he became a rare and learned youth:

But O! poor wretch! he read, and read, and read,

Till his brain turned; and ere his twentieth year

He had unlawful thoughts of many things:

And though he prayed, he never loved to pray

With holy men, nor in a holy place.

But yet his speech, it was so soft and sweet,

The late Lord Valdez ne'er was wearied with him.

And once, as by the north side of the chapel

They stood together chained in deep discourse,

The earth heaved under them with such a groan,

That the wall tottered, and had well nigh fallen

Right on their heads.  My Lord was sorely frightened!

A fever seized him, and he made confession

Of all the heretical and lawless talk

Which brought this judgement: so the youth was seized

And cast into that hole. My husband's father

Sobbed like a child -- it almost broke his heart:

And once as he was working near this dungeon,

He heard a voice distinctly; 'twas the youth's,

Who sung a doleful song about green fields,

How sweet it were on lake or wide savanna

To hunt for food, and be a naked man,

And wander up and down at liberty.

He always doted on the youth, and now

His love grew desperate; and defying death,

He made that cunning entrance I described,

And the young man escaped.

Ter.                        'Tis a sweet tale:

Such as would lull a listening child to sleep,

His rosy face besoiled with unwiped tears.

And what became of him?

Sel.                    He went on shipboard

With those bold voyagers who made discovery

Of golden lands.  Sesina's younger brother

Went likewise, and when he returned to Spain,

He told Sesina, that the poor mad youth,

Soon after they arrived in that new world,

In spite of his dissuasion, seized a boat,

And all alone, set sail by silent moonlight

Up a great river, great as any sea,

And ne'er was heard of more: but 'tis supposed,

He lived and died among the savage men.

 

Summary

Overview:

“The Foster Mother’s Tale” is a narrative poem written in the form of a dramatic monologue. It is spoken by an old woman named Selma, the foster mother of a mysterious boy with an unusual past. She tells his story to another woman, Teresa (Ter.), in a confidential tone. The poem is meant to be a self-contained tale, although labeled as a “fragment,” and was originally intended to be included in a larger dramatic work titled Osorio (later retitled Remorse).

 

Detailed Summary:

The Setting and Characters:

The poem begins with a dialogue between two women—Teresa, who prompts the story, and Selma, who narrates it. Teresa asks about an “entrance,” and Selma, after ensuring they are alone and unheard, begins telling a “perilous tale” she once heard from her late husband’s father, an old man named Sesina, who used to be a woodman.

 

The Mysterious Baby:

Sesina, while cutting wood in the forest near the old chapel, found a baby hidden beneath a tree, wrapped in moss, thistle-down, and little tufts of wool from brambles. This abandoned child, discovered in such a wild and natural state, was brought home by Sesina and raised at the expense of Lord Valdez, a nobleman. The child grew into a beautiful boy, but displayed signs of being wild and untamed.

 

The Boy’s Wild Nature:

Though physically attractive, the boy could not be taught conventional things. He never learned prayers or religious rituals, but he showed an extraordinary affinity for nature. He knew the names of birds, could imitate their calls, and often whistled like a bird. He spent his time collecting seeds and planting wildflowers on tree stumps—suggesting a strong connection with nature and instinct rather than society and structure.

 

The Friar’s Influence:

A gray-haired Friar who gathered medicinal herbs in the woods noticed the boy and grew fond of him. Under the Friar’s guidance, the boy learned to read and write. From that point on, the boy began to spend more time at the convent or castle, and grew into a highly educated and intellectually gifted youth, despite his unusual beginnings.

 

Signs of Trouble:

However, even as the boy grew more learned, he began to exhibit troubling signs. He would become gloomy and withdrawn, especially during the night. He had vivid dreams and visions and would wake up with violent fits of passion, which deeply worried Selma. He became fascinated with the stories of foreign lands, especially America, and the tales of brave warriors and native freedom.

 

Desire for Adventure:

He expressed a yearning for liberty, and for lands where people lived freely and heroically. This deep desire for a life of adventure and his romantic ideals led him eventually to leave home. He went to join revolutionary causes, possibly in the New World or Spain (the details are left open), driven by his ideas of justice and freedom. This decision caused Selma great sorrow, as she loved him like a mother.

 

Final Remarks:

Selma concludes the tale with a mixture of maternal pride and fear. She reflects on how the boy's unusual birth and upbringing shaped his destiny. Her voice carries both sorrow and awe at his mysterious origins and tragic departure. The tone is one of haunting nostalgia and quiet dread.

 

Closing Thoughts:

Though a fragment, The Foster Mother’s Tale paints a vivid picture of a child raised on the margins of society—part nature, part nurture—who is driven by visions of freedom and idealism, ultimately setting off into an uncertain fate. The tale is filled with emotional intensity, mystery, and a sense of foreboding about the consequences of passionate idealism.

 

Analysis in Detail

1. Structure and Form:

The poem is written as a dramatic monologue—a form where a single speaker narrates a story, often to a silent listener.

This structure allows Coleridge to blend storytelling with psychological insight, as the foster mother Selma recounts the boy’s life and her emotions.

The subtitle "A Dramatic Fragment" suggests it is a portion of a larger narrative, and indeed, it was originally part of Coleridge’s play Osorio (later revised as Remorse).

The conversational opening (“But that entrance, Selma?”) drops the reader into the middle of an exchange, emphasizing its intimate, secretive nature.

 

2. Themes:

a) Nature vs. Civilization:

The abandoned child is deeply attuned to nature: he mimics birds, gathers seeds, plants wildflowers—he’s more in harmony with the natural world than with human institutions like the church or school.

In contrast, efforts to civilize him (through religious teaching or formal education) initially fail.

His affinity with nature is symbolically opposed to structured, artificial society, suggesting Romantic ideals that value nature’s purity over institutional constraints.

 

b) The Limits of Education:

Though the boy becomes “a rare and learned youth” after meeting the Friar, his innate personality remains wild and haunted.

Education improves his intellect, but not his emotional or spiritual stability. This implies a Romantic critique: intellectual growth alone is insufficient without moral or emotional grounding.

 

c) Identity and Origins:

The boy’s mysterious birth—wrapped in moss and wool, found under a tree—makes him seem almost elemental, as though born of nature itself.

His unknown parentage casts a shadow over his identity. He belongs neither fully to the world of humans nor to the natural world, creating a sense of otherness and alienation.

 

d) Revolutionary Idealism and Tragic Destiny:

The youth becomes fascinated with stories of liberty and heroism, especially in foreign lands like America, where ideals of freedom and rebellion were prevalent in Coleridge’s time.

His yearning for a higher cause leads him to leave home and join revolutionary efforts, possibly inspired by the American and French Revolutions.

Coleridge presents both sympathy and caution: the youth is noble in spirit, but his path is perilous, hinting at disillusionment or tragedy.

 

e) Maternal Sorrow and Human Vulnerability:

The foster mother, Selma, narrates with deep affection and sorrow, revealing her emotional bond with the boy.

Her perspective provides a human lens to the poem, grounding its philosophical and political themes in personal pain.

 

3. Symbolism and Imagery:

The forest/tree: Symbolizes untamed nature and mystery. The child is discovered under a tree—rooted in nature, disconnected from society.

Birds and flowers: Represent freedom, innocence, and a deep harmony with nature. The boy whistles like birds and tends to flowers—symbols of a Romantic ideal.

Dreams and visions: His disturbing dreams suggest inner conflict, perhaps stemming from his unknown past or premonitions of his future struggles.

The castle/convent vs. forest: These represent societal order and religion vs. wild nature and instinct. The boy moves between them, but belongs fully to neither.

 

4. Romantic Elements:

Coleridge, as a key figure in the Romantic movement, infuses this tale with Romantic features:

Reverence for nature.

Suspicion of institutions like the church and aristocracy.

Celebration of individual emotion and imagination.

Emphasis on the mysterious, the supernatural, and the untamed.

 

5. Psychological Depth:

The boy's character reflects the Romantic hero archetype—solitary, gifted, misunderstood, and ultimately doomed by his own ideals.

His development—from an untamed child to a thoughtful yet restless youth—mirrors Romantic concerns with identity, freedom, and the burdens of knowledge.

 

6. Political and Social Undercurrents:

The reference to foreign lands and freedom suggests Coleridge’s engagement with contemporary revolutionary ideals.

There’s a subtle critique of aristocratic power (Lord Valdez) and organized religion (the Friar), which attempt to "shape" the boy without truly understanding him.

The boy’s fate could reflect Coleridge’s own ambivalence toward political revolution: admiring the ideals but wary of the chaos and suffering it could bring.

 

7. Mood and Tone:

The tone is hushed, reverent, and sorrowful. Selma speaks as if sharing a sacred or painful memory.

There’s a strong sense of foreboding—the audience is left with the impression that the boy’s destiny, though noble, may be tragic.

The wistful, melancholic mood underscores the poem’s meditation on the limits of love, nurture, and idealism.

 

Conclusion:

The Foster Mother’s Tale is a powerful, compact narrative rich in Romantic themes. It explores the conflict between natural instinct and social expectation, the mystery of identity and destiny, and the tragedy of idealistic youth driven by visions of freedom. Through the voice of Selma, Coleridge evokes a deep emotional resonance, blending personal grief with philosophical reflection.