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JakePorter
Mrs.Stanford
ENG124
30March2016
ThePainsofLove
LordByronandSamuelTaylorColeridgegodeeperthanwhatonecanimagineatfirst
glance.ManyofthepoemswrittenwerelovedbytheirreadersduringtheBritishRomanticism
era.Theywroteaboutthingsthatwereveryrelatablebecausemanyreaderscouldfeeltheway
thetwopoetsdid,ortheyexperiencedthesamefeeling.LordByronandSamuelTaylor
Coleridgethepersonalreflectionsintheirworkisportrayeddifferently,particularlyinByrons,
SoWellGoNoMoreaRoving,whichhasamainthemeoftheburningpassionofloveand
Coleridges,ThePainsofSleep,whichhasamainthemeofoneschoicesinlifeandregret.
Thefirstauthor,LordByron,wrotethepoemSoWellGoNoMoreaRoving.Lord
Byronlivedaninterestinglifewhichdidntlastverylong,onlyaboutthirtysixyears.Bornin
1788,somewriterssaythatLordByronwasknownasoneofthegreatestandmostEnglish
writersofhistime.Byronwasadescendantoftwoaristocraticfamilies,whicharethehighest
statureintheclasssystembackintheday.MeaningthatByronhadcomeupfromwealthina
powerfulclass.Whenhewasolder,hewassenttoTrinityCollegeinCambridge,wherehewasa
fivesportathlete,playingcricket,andalsomasteringfencing,boxing,horseriding,and
swimming.Althoughhisupbringingwaswealthy,hewasindebtformostofhislife.However
hesoonbecameinterestedinpoetry.InByronspoems,heuseddeepimageryandintense
feelingstotrulyexpresswhathewantedtosharewithhisreaders.Byronhadhelpedtointroduce

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theEnglishtotheEasternMediterraneanslegendofbloodsuckingevilspiritsknownas
vampires.Hehasaveryfamousline,Awokeonemorningandfoundmyselffamous(Lynch
Shauna&Stillinger614),hethenbecameasortofcelebrityinLondon.SinceByronandhis
sisterwereraisedapart,hebegantosomewhatfallinlovewithher,thisaffairandearlier
accusationsaboutByronbeingwithothermen,basicallydrovehimoutofLondon.Hewas
ostracizedbymostofhisfriendsbeforeleavingLondon.HoweverLordByronhaddiedinthe
yearof1824.
Inthepoem,
SoWellgonoMoreaRoving
themainthemethatLordByronistryingto
getacrossistheburningpassionoflove,anditsdownfall.InthefirstandlaststanzaByrontalks
aboutonlyhavingonelover,andnothavingtosearchforanother,saying:
Sowellgonomorearoving
Solateinthenight,
Thoughtheheartbestillasloving,
Andthemoonbestillasbright(Byron620).
Thismeantthathewontsearchforanotherlover,hisheartbelongsonlytoonepersonwhohe
willforeverstaywith.Howeverheusesajuxtapositioninthesecondstanza,stating:
Fortheswordoutwearsitssheath,
Andthesouloutwearsthebreast,
Andtheheartmustpausetobreathe,
Andloveitselfhaverest(Byron620).
ThispartofthepoemgreatlycontradictsthefirstandthirdstanzasbecauseByrontalksabout
findinganotherlover.Hesaysthatpeoplegettiredofhavingthesamelover,orwornoutfrom

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thatoneperson,thattheirsoulscanttakethatonepersonthattheyremeanttohaveanymore.In
thethirdstanzaByronbringsbackhisthoughtsfromthefirststanzastatingthathewillnotleave
hislover,forherealizeswhatagreatmistakehewouldbemaking.Ifheweretomakethis
mistake,heknowsthathewouldntwanttolivewithouther.Muchlikehowpeopleareinreal
life,manypeopleseemtomakethemistakeofcheatingononestheylove,becausetheybelieve
thattheyretiredoftheirpartner.
ThenextpoetwasSamuelTaylorColeridgewhowasborninthesmalltownofOtteryst.
Mary,ofDevonshirein1772.Howeverhedidntstaytherelong,afterhisfatherdiedatayoung
age,hewassenttoLondonforschooling.In1791heenteredtheJesusCollegeinCambridgebut
laterdroppedouttojointhearmyunderthenameofSilasTomkynComberbache.Veneduring
hisschooldays,hisfriendsdescribedhimtohaveasortoflonelyvibetohim,maybecausedby
thedeathofhisfather.Laterinhislife,aftermeetingWilliamWordsworth,theytraveledto
GermanytogetherwhereColeridgeattendedtheUniversityofGottingenandbeganthelifelong
studyofGermanphilosophy.ThoughColeridgesoonbecameaddictedtoOpium,whichheused
tohelpwithhispainfulphysicalailmentsthathehadsufferedfromatanearlyage.Aftergoing
onasojournintheMediterraneanIslandofMaltahislifebeganadownwardtrend,hisaddiction
grewworse,hestrayedawayfromhiswife,alsoheandWordsworthquarreledoften.Hestill
continuedtowriteandspeaktolargegroupsandcrowds,howeverwithhisdrugaddiction,he
wouldoftenplagiariseotherworkwithoutrealizingit.Allinallmanydescribedhimasavery
innovativewriter.Oneofhisbetterpiecesofwork,
ThePainsofSleep,
hasamainthemeof
choicesandtheregret/remorsepeoplefeel.Thepoemincludesthreestanzas,allthreedescribing

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adifferentnightssleepinColeridgeslife.ThefirststanzaspeaksofColeridgehavingapeaceful
nightssleep:
EreonmybedmylimbsIlay,
Ithathnotbeenmyusetopray
Withmovinglipsorbendedknees
Butsilently,byslowdegrees,
MyspiritItolovecompose,
Inhumbletrustmineeyelidsclose(Coleridge483484).
InthesefirstsixlinesColeridgespeaksofhimpraying,howevernotinanormalway,insteadof
gettingdownonhiskneeshepreferstomeditatewhilespeakingwithGod.Heseemstobeat
peacewithhimself.However,thenexttwostanzas,nightsarenotaspeaceful,inthesecond
stanzaColeridgesays:
ButyesternightIprayedaloud
Inanguishandinagony,
Upstartingfromthefiendishcrowd
Ofshapesandthoughtsthattorturedme(Coleridge483484).
Inthesefirstfourlines,Coleridgeexplainshowhisnextnightofsleepstartswithnightterrors,
whichheconstantlyhadbecauseofhisdrugaddiction.Healsotalksabouttheenvyhehasfor
hisfriends,feelingneglectedandhurt,heisangrythattheyseemtoexcludehimfromcertain
things,yethealsowantstobethem.InthethirdstanzaColeridgeisafraidtosleepinfearof
nightterrorswhichwilleventuallyfindhim.Hisnightterrorissobadthatheletoutaloud
screamwhichawokehimandhebegantoweeplikeayoungchild:

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Thethirdnight,whenmyownloudscream
Hadwakedmefromthefiendishdream,
Oercomewithsufferingstrangeandwild,
IweptasIhadbeenayoungchild(Coleridge483484).
OnthisnightColeridgeisawakenbyhisownscreams,ashehashadaterribledream.Heis
terrifiedbywhathehasdreamtofandhebeginstosobasifhewereonceagainayoungchild
whohadjustexperiencedanightmare.Suchpunishments,Isaid,weredue/Tonatures
deeplieststainedwithsin(Coleridge483484).Coleridgealsobelievedthathedeservedhis
punishmentsasstatedinthequotationabove,Sayingthatsincehesins,hedeservestobe
haunted.
Bothofthesetwoauthorsusegreatimageryintheirpoemstodescribehowtheyare
feeling.Coleridgeusesimmenseimagerytoreallyputhisreadersinhisshoeswhilereading
ThePainsofSleep
,
makingreadersfeelasiftheyareexperiencingthesamepainthatheis.
ByronusesaminisculeamountofimageryinSoWellGoNoMoreaRovingtoallowthe
readertoknowhowhefeltwhilewritingit,stimulatingthereader'smindtomakethereader
thinkofapersonthattheywoulddothesamefor.Thethemesofthepoemscanconnectbutfor
themostpartthetwoaredifferent.InByronsworkhetalksabouttheburningpassionoflove,
andColeridgetalksaboutchoicesandmistakesinlife.Thewaythesepiecesofworkcanconnect
arethatreadersofSoWellGoNoMoreaRovinghavethechoicetoleavetheirlover,yetif
theyleaveitwillbeagravemistakebecausetheywillsufferwithgreatremorse.ThePainsof
Sleep

isallaboutsufferingandremorse.Howevertheydifferinthekindsofremorsetheperson
willfeel,Coleridgesworkbeingaboutbeingadrugaddictandabadinfluenceonothers,and

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Byronsbeingaboutlosingtheloveofoneslife.Thetwoauthorsusetwodifferentwriting
stylesinthetwopoems,SoWellGoNoMoreaRovingandThePainsofSleeptoget
acrosstheirmainthemes.InByronsSoWellGoNoMoreaRovingheusesdescriptive
languagetodescribehowhewasthinking,healsomakesthereaderthinkoftheirlovedonethey
willneverleave.HoweverinColeridgesThePainsofSleepheusesgreatimagerytoreally
makethereaderknowhowhefeelsandputsthereaderinhisshoes.
LordByronandSamuelTaylorColeridgearebothBritishpoetswhoportraytheirwork
differently,particularlyinByronsSoWellGoNoMoreaRovingwhereheusesdescriptive
languagetoallowtheaudiencetoconnecttothepoemandColeridgesThePainsofSleep
whereheusesimagerytoallowthereadertoexperiencehissituation.BothPoetsallowtheir
readersadeeperinsightthanjustreadingthepoem.Theybothtrytolettheirreadersexperience
whattheyarefeeling,justusingdifferentwritingtechniquestodoso.Bothpoemsalsogaveout
astrongmessageintheirthemeswhichmanypeoplecanlearnfrom.ApossiblegoalofByron
andColeridge,togetreaderstothinkmoreaboutthechoicestheymake.

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WorksCited
Byron,Lord.SoWellGoNoMoreaRoving
TheNortonAnthologyofEnglishLiterature:
TheRomanticPeriod
.9thed.Vol.D.NewYork:W.W.Norton,2012.620.Print.
Coleridge,SamuelTaylor.ThePainsofSleep.
TheNortonAnthologyofEnglishLiterature:
TheRomanticPeriod
.9thed.Vol.D.NewYork:W.W.Norton,2012.483484.Print.
Lynch,Shauna,&Stillinger.
TheNortonAnthologyofEnglishLiterature:TheRomanticPeriod
.
Ed.StephenGreenblatt.9thed.Vol.D.NewYork:W.W.Norton,2012.437439,
483484,612616,620.Print.