To the Nightingale by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Poem, Summary, & Analysis)

 

To the Nightingale

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

(Poem, Summary, & Analysis) 

To the Nightingale

 

Sister of love-lorn Poets, Philomel!

How many Bards in city garret pent,

While at their window they with downward eye

Mark the faint lamp-beam on the kennell'd mud,

And listen to the drowsy cry of Watchmen

(Those hoarse unfeather'd Nightingales of Time!),

How many wretched Bards address thy name,

And hers, the full-orb'd Queen that shines above.

But I do hear thee, and the high bough mark,

Within whose mild moon-mellow'd foliage hid

Thou warblest sad thy pity-pleading strains.

O! I have listen'd, till my working soul,

Waked by those strains to thousand phantasies,

Absorb'd hath ceas'd to listen! Therefore oft,

I hymn thy name: and with a proud delight

Oft will I tell thee, Minstrel of the Moon!

'Most musical, most melancholy' Bird!

That all thy soft diversities of tone,

Tho' sweeter far than the delicious airs

That vibrate from a white-arm'd Lady's harp,

What time the languishment of lonely love

Melts in her eye, and heaves her breast of snow,

Are not so sweet as is the voice of her,

My Sara - best beloved of human kind!

When breathing the pure soul of tenderness,

She thrills me with the Husband's promis'd name!

 

Summary

To the Nightingale by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a lyrical poem in which the speaker addresses the nightingale as a symbol of the melancholic muse for poets, particularly those who are love-lorn. The speaker begins by calling the nightingale the "sister of love-lorn Poets," referring to its association with the sorrow and longing often expressed in poetry. The reference to "Philomel" points to the myth of Philomela, a character in Greek mythology who was transformed into a nightingale, forever associated with themes of grief and unrequited love.

The speaker then imagines the plight of poets living in cities, confined to small garrets, looking out of their windows as they observe the mundane world—marked by the faint glow of street lamps on the dirty streets. These poets, the speaker notes, often listen to the "hoarse unfeather'd Nightingales of Time"—the watchmen, whose cries echo through the night. These watchmen are likened to nightingales, but unlike the bird's song, their calls are harsh and devoid of beauty. In this image, the speaker highlights the contrast between the real world and the idealized poetic world of beauty and longing.

The speaker then shifts his attention to the nightingale itself. He hears it singing from the high boughs of a tree, its song echoing through the moonlit branches. The nightingale's melody is described as "sad" and "pity-pleading," invoking a sense of sorrow that the speaker deeply resonates with. The song stirs the speaker’s soul, awakening his imagination and transporting him into a world of phantasies.

The speaker continues by expressing his admiration for the nightingale, claiming that its song is more beautiful than the music of a lady's harp, even though that music is associated with the languishing expression of love. While the music of the harp is sweet, the speaker insists that it is not as sweet as the voice of his beloved, Sara, whom he refers to as "best beloved of human kind." He believes that Sara’s voice, when expressing tenderness, surpasses the nightingale’s song in its emotional depth, particularly when it brings him the joy of hearing the "Husband's promis'd name."

Throughout the poem, the nightingale's song serves as a symbol of poetic inspiration and the ideal of melancholy beauty. However, the speaker ultimately asserts that the voice of his beloved, Sara, transcends all other melodies, as it embodies the profound joy and fulfillment that comes with love and commitment.

 

Analysis in Detail

To the Nightingale by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a poem that reflects the themes of melancholy, love, inspiration, and the contrast between idealized beauty and reality. Through the symbolism of the nightingale, Coleridge explores the relationship between poets and their muses, and ultimately, he elevates personal love over the idealized representations of passion in poetry.

 

1. The Nightingale as the "Sister of Love-Lorn Poets"

The poem begins with a direct address to the nightingale, calling it the "sister of love-lorn Poets." The nightingale, in literature and mythology, is often a symbol of grief and longing, particularly in relation to unrequited love. The term "love-lorn" suggests a sense of emotional abandonment, and Coleridge connects the nightingale to this romantic sorrow experienced by poets. This connection is established with the reference to Philomel, a figure from Greek mythology who was transformed into a nightingale after being wronged. By using Philomel, Coleridge emphasizes the bird’s association with tragedy and the poet's expression of pain.

 

2. The Poets in the City Garret

The speaker then imagines the plight of poets living in urban environments, confined to their garrets (attic rooms) in the city. This setting evokes a sense of isolation, as the poet watches the world pass by below from his small, cramped space. The description of the cityscape—"the faint lamp-beam on the kennell'd mud"—paints a picture of urban decay and dullness. The speaker’s view is limited to the harsh reality of city life, in stark contrast to the idealized, emotional expressions of poetry.

The watchmen, described as "hoarse unfeather'd Nightingales of Time," further underscore the grim reality. While the nightingale is traditionally a symbol of beauty and musical expression, the watchmen are the "unfeathered" version—devoid of the bird's sweetness and instead harshly calling out through the night. These watchmen, though compared to nightingales, represent the mundane, everyday realities that often stifle creativity and romanticism in the lives of poets.

 

3. The Poet’s Reaction to the Nightingale’s Song

The poem then shifts its focus to the nightingale itself. The speaker hears the bird’s song coming from a high bough, surrounded by the "mild moon-mellow’d foliage." The use of "mild" and "moon-mellow’d" emphasizes the gentle, serene nature of the nightingale’s environment, creating an atmosphere of tranquility and beauty. The bird’s song is described as "sad" and "pity-pleading," conveying a sense of sorrow that resonates with the speaker.

This song awakens the speaker's soul to a world of "thousand phantasies," representing the deep, imaginative power of poetry and music. The nightingale’s song serves as a muse, stirring the speaker’s inner world and creative faculties. However, the intensity of the bird’s song is such that it eventually "absorbs" the speaker, drawing him into a kind of trance where he ceases to listen further. This suggests that the nightingale’s song has a powerful, almost hypnotic effect on the poet, leading him to lose himself in the world of imagination.

 

4. The Nightingale vs. The Music of a Lady's Harp

The speaker contrasts the nightingale’s song with the music that a lady might play on her harp, especially when expressing the "languishment of lonely love." The harp music is associated with the sweetness of love’s longing, but the speaker claims that even the most beautiful harp music cannot match the emotional depth and richness of the nightingale’s song. This contrast serves to elevate the nightingale's song as more authentic and powerful than the cultured, refined music of a lady’s harp.

However, the speaker goes on to assert that even the nightingale’s voice, as beautiful as it is, does not surpass the voice of his beloved, Sara. The nightingale’s song represents idealized, universal longing and grief, but the speaker’s personal love for Sara transcends all these abstractions. He declares that the voice of Sara, when speaking the "Husband's promis'd name," is sweeter than the nightingale’s song or the harp music. This personal connection to Sara—his beloved—becomes the ultimate expression of love for the speaker, replacing the idealized but distant concept of romantic longing that the nightingale and harp represent.

 

5. The Personal vs. The Universal

The poem, overall, juxtaposes the personal and the universal. The nightingale’s song represents the universal, sorrowful longing that poets often write about, a longing that speaks to the heart of every love-lorn poet. Yet, Coleridge shifts away from this broader idealization to emphasize a more personal, grounded love—the love he shares with Sara. This personal love is seen as more fulfilling and real than the general, poetic expressions of grief and melancholy symbolized by the nightingale. Through this, Coleridge subtly critiques the idealized and sometimes detached nature of poetic representations of love, asserting that personal connection and emotional intimacy hold greater significance.

 

6. The Role of Music and Sound in the Poem

Throughout the poem, music plays a central role. The nightingale’s song, the harp music, and the voice of Sara are all forms of sound that express different aspects of emotion. Coleridge uses these auditory symbols to explore the power of music and sound in evoking emotional responses. The nightingale's song represents the pure, untainted beauty of nature, while the harp’s music symbolizes the cultural, refined expression of love. However, Sara’s voice transcends all of these, representing the personal and intimate connection between the poet and his beloved.

 

Conclusion: The Triumph of Personal Love

In the final lines, the speaker elevates his beloved Sara’s voice above all other forms of musical expression. This culminates in a triumphant assertion that love, when personal and true, surpasses all artistic representations of love and longing. Coleridge shifts from the universal symbolism of the nightingale to a celebration of the real, intimate love between the speaker and Sara. The poem, thus, becomes an exploration not only of the nightingale as a muse but also of the deeper, more fulfilling emotions found in personal relationships.

In summary, To the Nightingale presents a poetic meditation on the nature of love, creativity, and inspiration. Coleridge contrasts idealized, universal expressions of longing with the deeper, more meaningful personal love he experiences with his beloved, Sara. Through the nightingale, the poem reflects on the poet's emotional and creative response to the world around him, ultimately finding fulfillment in real, personal love over abstract, poetic representations of sorrow and longing.

 

Key Exam Points   

 

1. Theme of Love and Longing

The poem explores the themes of love, longing, and melancholy.

The nightingale symbolizes universal sorrow and the melancholic longing often expressed in poetry, particularly by poets who are in unrequited love.

The poem contrasts idealized, poetic love with personal, intimate love, represented by the speaker’s beloved, Sara.

 

2. Symbolism of the Nightingale

The nightingale is a traditional symbol of sorrow and longing in poetry, particularly for love-lorn poets.

The reference to Philomel (the mythological character transformed into a nightingale) reinforces the bird's association with tragedy and grief.

 

3. Poets in the City Garret

The poem opens with an image of poets confined to their small city garrets, observing the world from their windows.

The "hoarse unfeather'd Nightingales of Time" (watchmen) symbolize the harsh, mundane reality of the poet’s life, in contrast to the romantic and idealized world of the nightingale’s song.

 

4. The Power of the Nightingale’s Song

The nightingale’s song is described as sad and pity-pleading, evoking a sense of sorrow that the speaker feels deeply.

The song stirs the poet's imagination, prompting him to reflect on his own feelings and fantasies. It demonstrates the inspirational role of music and nature in the creative process.

 

5. Contrast with the Lady’s Harp

The speaker compares the nightingale’s song with the harp music of a lady, which symbolizes the sweet but superficial expression of love.

While the harp music reflects the languishment of lonely love, the nightingale’s song is more genuine, deep, and universal in its expression of sorrow.

 

6. Personal Love for Sara

In the poem's climax, the speaker elevates the voice of his beloved Sara above all other musical expressions, asserting that her voice, when expressing tenderness and love, surpasses the nightingale's song.

This reflects the triumph of personal, real love over idealized or abstract representations of love in poetry.

 

7. The Shift from Universal to Personal

Coleridge moves from the universal symbol of the nightingale (representing idealized sorrow) to a personal and individual love, emphasizing that true love, as felt for Sara, is more meaningful than any poetic symbol or representation.

 

8. Imagery and Musicality

The poem is rich in musical and auditory imagery, using the nightingale's song, harp music, and Sara's voice to explore the emotional effects of sound and music.

The use of moonlit imagery ("moon-mellow'd foliage") sets a serene and contemplative mood, enhancing the poem's focus on emotional and creative response.

 

9. Poetic Form and Structure

The poem is a lyrical address to the nightingale, written in a romantic style with a focus on emotions, nature, and personal reflection.

The flow of thought moves from a universal contemplation of the nightingale’s song to a personal reflection on love and intimacy.

 

10. Tone and Mood

The tone is a mixture of melancholy (as the nightingale represents sorrow) and affectionate admiration for the bird’s song.

By the end of the poem, the tone shifts to joy and celebration of personal love, particularly in the speaker’s adoration of Sara.

 

Revision Sheet

 

Title: To the Nightingale

Author: Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Type: Lyrical Poem

Themes: Love, Longing, Melancholy, Inspiration, The Contrast between Idealized and Personal Love

 

Key Themes

Melancholy and Longing:

The nightingale symbolizes the universal sadness and longing often associated with poets, particularly those in unrequited love.

The bird's song is connected to sorrow and emotional expression, a recurring theme in poetry.

 

The Role of the Nightingale in Poetry:

The nightingale is often used as a symbol of melancholy, grief, and romantic longing in poetry.

Coleridge invokes Philomel, a figure from Greek mythology, linking the nightingale to deep emotional suffering and tragedy.

 

Idealized vs. Personal Love:

The speaker contrasts the nightingale's idealized, universal song of sorrow with his personal, intimate love for Sara.

While the nightingale’s song represents a broad, poetic concept of love, the speaker argues that his love for Sara is more meaningful and powerful than any abstraction.

 

Poetic Devices

Symbolism:

The nightingale symbolizes the idealized muse for poets—particularly those who are in love or experiencing sorrow.

Philomel represents the connection between myth, nature, and sorrowful love.

 

Imagery:

Moonlit imagery and descriptions like "moon-mellow’d foliage" create a serene, melancholic atmosphere that enhances the nightingale’s song as something pure and poignant.

City imagery of "faint lamp-beams" and "kennell’d mud" reflects the isolation and mundanity of urban life, contrasting sharply with the idealized beauty of nature.

 

Contrast:

The nightingale's sweet, natural song is contrasted with the "hoarse unfeather'd Nightingales of Time" (watchmen), emphasizing the difference between idealized beauty and the harshness of reality.

The speaker compares the nightingale’s song to a lady’s harp, suggesting that while the harp’s music is beautiful, it does not carry the emotional depth of the nightingale’s voice or his own personal love for Sara.

 

Tone:

The tone of the poem shifts from melancholy and longing to a more celebratory and triumphant tone when the speaker expresses the superiority of Sara’s voice over all others.

 

Poem Structure and Form

Lyrical Style: The poem is written in a reflective, emotional tone, typical of Romantic poetry.

Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows a regular rhyme scheme, contributing to its musical quality.

Flow of Thought: The poem moves from universal reflections on the nightingale's song to the personal realization of the speaker’s love for Sara.

 

Important Imagery

Nightingale's Song: Represents poetic inspiration and universal sorrow.

Moonlit Branches: The nightingale sings from a high bough, symbolizing purity, nature, and emotional release.

Cityscape: The imagery of a city garret, with watchmen and streetlamps, contrasts with the beauty of nature and serves as a metaphor for the mundane reality of the poet's life.

Sara’s Voice: The speaker ultimately elevates his personal love for Sara, seeing her voice as superior to the nightingale's or the lady’s harp.

 

Characterization of the Nightingale

Idealized Muse: The nightingale represents the unattainable, idealized muse of many poets. It is associated with poetic suffering and the universal expression of sorrow and longing.

Contrast to Real Life: The contrast between the nightingale’s beautiful song and the harsh reality of the poet’s life in the city emphasizes the gap between idealized beauty and the mundane struggles of life.

 

Personal Love vs. Universal Sorrow

Sara’s Voice: The speaker reveals that while the nightingale’s song and the lady’s harp may be beautiful, the voice of Sara, his beloved, is far sweeter. This suggests that personal, authentic love is more fulfilling and transcendent than the idealized love often expressed in poetry.

Celebration of Personal Love: The poem concludes with a celebration of personal love. The speaker’s love for Sara is deeply rooted in the emotional fulfillment of a committed relationship, far surpassing abstract, poetic longing.

 

Final Message

The poem shifts the focus from the universal symbols of poetic suffering (represented by the nightingale) to the personal, intimate love between the speaker and Sara. This love is seen as more fulfilling and real than any external, idealized representations of love or longing.

 

Possible Exam Questions

 

What is the central theme of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's To the Nightingale?

 

Explain the symbolism of the nightingale in the poem. How does Coleridge use it to explore the themes of love and melancholy?

 

How does the speaker contrast the nightingale's song with other forms of musical expression in the poem?

 

Discuss the use of imagery in To the Nightingale. How does Coleridge use imagery to enhance the themes of the poem?

 

What role does contrast play in the poem? Provide examples of contrasts found in the poem.

 

Explain how Coleridge uses musical imagery in the poem. How do the various musical symbols (e.g., nightingale’s song, harp music, Sara's voice) contribute to the overall meaning of the poem?

 

How does Coleridge personify the nightingale in the poem? What does the nightingale represent in terms of poetic inspiration and universal longing?

 

How does the speaker’s personal love for Sara affect the overall tone and message of the poem?

 

What role does Sara play in the poem, and how does she contrast with the nightingale as a source of inspiration?

 

How does the structure of the poem reflect the development of the speaker’s thoughts and emotions?

 

Examine the rhyme scheme and meter in To the Nightingale. How do these formal elements contribute to the mood of the poem?

 

What does the poem suggest about the relationship between universal sorrow (represented by the nightingale) and personal love?

 

How does Coleridge challenge the idealized notions of love commonly found in poetry? Use examples from the poem to support your answer.

 

How does Coleridge use classical mythology, particularly the reference to Philomel, to deepen the emotional impact of the poem?

 

Discuss the significance of the phrase "hoarse unfeather'd Nightingales of Time" in the context of the poem. What does it imply about the role of poets and watchmen in society?

 

How does the tone of the poem evolve from the beginning to the end? What emotions does the speaker experience throughout the poem?

 

Describe the mood created by the imagery of the "moon-mellow'd foliage" and the "city garret." How does this contrast enhance the themes of the poem?