2019-

A grief without a pang, void, dark, and drear,

A stifled, drowsy, unimpassioned grief,
Which finds no natural outlet, no relief,
In word, or sigh, or tear—

REFERENCE
(i) Poem: Dejection; An Ode
(ii) Poet: Coleridge

CONTEXT
It is a deeply personal and autobiographical poem and depicts his mental state at the time. In this sublime
and heart-rending poem, Coleridge gives expression to an experience of double consciousness. His sense
perceptions are vivid and in part agreeable; his inner state is faint, blurred and unhappy. He sees but
cannot feel. The power of feeling has been paralyzed by chemically-induced excitement of his brain.

EXPLANATION
The poet says that he is in deep sorrow. No beautiful object of nature can charm him. In the absence of
the inner joy in his heart, he does not feel the beauty of natural objects. This grief and pain have been
expressed effectively by these verses. The poet is full of very deep grief, which has so completely
overpowered him that he does not feel its pang or pain anymore. The grief is void or empty, that is, it
does not arouse the poetic feeling in any way. It is empty darkness in his heart out of which the poet
cannot expect to come out. Due to this grief, he is becoming more and more drowsy and inactive. This
grief has been described by the poet as ‘stifled, drowsy and impassioned.’ it does not arouse the poet even
to weep or to heave sighs. The poet is not stirred or inspired.

2018-
Though I should gaze for ever
On that green light that lingers in the west:
I may not hope from outward forms to win
The passion and the life, whose fountains are within.

REFERENCE
(i) Poem: Dejection; An Ode
(ii) Poet: Coleridge

CONTEXT
It is a deeply personal and autobiographical poem and depicts his mental state at the time. In this sublime
and heart-rending poem, Coleridge gives expression to an experience of double consciousness. His sense
perceptions are vivid and in part agreeable; his inner state is faint, blurred and unhappy. He sees but
cannot feel. The power of feeling has been paralyzed by chemically-induced excitement of his brain.

EXPLANATION
Coleridge is full of deep sorrow. He feels no beauty or joy anywhere. He explains that his jovial spirits
have failed. They cannot remove the dead weight of sorrow from his heart. He looks at the sky, the
clouds, the stars and crescent moon, but they do not give him any joy. They are all beautiful, but he does
not feel their beauty or charm. He thinks that it is now of no use for him to continue looking at the
external objects of Nature. He realizes that joy will come to him from within and not from the outer
world. Nature by itself cannot heal and soothe the deep grief of his heart, nor can the heart feel Nature’s
beauty unless it is stimulated by joy. It is this joy that the poet has lost.