The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Coleridge's Use of Precise Observations of the Natural World to Convey Wider Thematic Ideas in His Poetry
Coleridge, in common with other romantic artists such as Wordsworth and Keats revolted against the artificial eighteenth century philosophy of a dislocation between man and nature. Coleridge developed an extremely analytical, passionate and spiritual interest in nature and the idea of 'the one life'. His belief that nature is "the eternal language which... God utters" fuels a vast, and unquestionably, eclectic collection of precisely observed images and themes which almost always focus on the natural world and are used to explore wider issues in his poetry.
The hypnotic rhythm of the Circassian Love-Chaunt created by a mixture of two regular rhyme schemes used intermittently throughout the poem helps to capture the sense of equilibrium, tranquillity and beauty Coleridge believed could be found in nature. Equally the repetition of the word "Lewti" five times in the opening two stanza's as well as the repetition of natural imagery such as the "rock" and the "stream" adds a sense of a natural monotonous charm to the poem suggesting an air of peacefulness and restfulness. The muted colours in the poem suggested by clouds of the "palest hue" as well as the "grey"...
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