Coleridge's Sonnet to the Autumnal Moon

Intro - Coleridge’s Sonnet to the Autumnal Moon (Autumnal meaning of, occurring in, or characteristic of Autumn) was written in 1788, when Coleridge was 16 years old. In this sonnet, Coleridge compares the idea of Hope to the Moon, practically personifying Hope as the Moon herself.

It is interesting to note that the year Coleridge wrote this poem (1788), in the early summer he was both elected “Grecian”, and fell in love.

“Grecian status” is when a Sixth Form pupil (meaning between the ages of 16 - 18) who in their final year displays and demonstrates outstanding academic performance in more than one subject. His “Grecian” status would’ve been both internally visible through his pride, poetry, and learned studies, but also outwardly visible because of the additional accessories on his uniform.

The distinctive uniform of Christ’s Hospital included a long outer blue coat, breeches (for boys), pleated skirts (for girls), a white shirt with “bands”, yellow socks (for all boys and junior girls) and leather belts, but because of Coleridge’s “Grecian” status, his uniform would have additionally had large silver buttons and velvet cuffs. The School’s uniform has remained unchanged for over 460 years.

As well, as aforementioned Coleridge also fell in love in 1788, meeting the mother of his friend Tom Evans through Tom Evans - A Mrs. Evans, and her three daughters. One daughter named Mary Evans, Coleridge first fell in love with.

Information background - Firstly, what is a sonnet? A sonnet is a poem that has fourteen lines, with any number of rhyming schemes, and when written in English, a sonnet will typically have ten syllables per line. The sonnet form originated in Italy, originally composed at the Court of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick the Second, in Palermo, Sicily. 13th century poet and notary Giacomo de Lentini is credited with the creation of the sonnet. Majority of the information I have regarding this short piece comes from the Genius.com article on it. The article is only one paragraph long and speaks of how the theme of the poem is the “changefulness of Hope” - The “adaptability of Hope” may be a more academic way of stating this. The majority of the search results bring up copies of the poem to read. Therefore, I will be using that article, and my own imagination to cement my points.

Just like in my “Easter Holidays” video, this poem may only have one “large” meaning to take away from the poem as well, meaning that my analysis of the poem, as well as username’s “AdamNeikirk” on the Genius website’s will be one in the same; however I will not plagiarise the direct language of that contributor, and will be contributing a more detailed and line-by-line analysis to better explain this point.

Summary - As said previously, this sonnet is about the mutability of Hope, personified as the Moon. The theme of the poem first becomes evident in the 9th line, when Coleridge writes “Ah, such is Hope!” Yet before the 9th line one can clearly perceive Coleridge is talking about something deeper than just the Autumnal Moon herself - it wouldn’t be that deep and wouldn’t stand the test of time as a piece of literature if that was the case. Poetry ALWAYS runs deeper than the surface and poetry should ALWAYS cause one to ask oneself: “What is this poet trying to tell me?”

The Poem itself -

Mild Splendor of the various-vested Night!

Mother of wildly-working visions! hail!

I watch thy gliding, while with watery light

Thy weak eye glimmers through a fleecy veil;

And when thou lovest thy pale orb to shroud

Behind the gather'd blackness lost on high;

And when thou dartest from the wind-rent cloud

Thy placid lightning o'er th' awakened sky.

Ah, such is Hope! As changeful and as fair!

Now dimly peering on the wistful sight;

Now hid behind the dragon-wing'd Despair:

But soon emerging in her radiant might

She o'er the sorrow-clouded breast of Care

Sails, like a meteor kindling in its flight.

Detailed summary and analysis -

As this poem is a sonnet, and is by extension just one large, long, and fourteen line stanza, I will be analysing and summarising this piece line-by-line, albeit I will follow the natural punctuation of the poem as well.

Begin -

Mild Splendor of the various-vested Night!

Mother of wildly-working visions! hail!

I watch thy gliding, while with watery light

Thy weak eye glimmers through a fleecy veil;

Coleridge is referring to the Moon in these first four lines, claiming her to be the “gentle and magnificent grandeur of the Night” while also claiming that “[The Moon] has night secured as hers - it has been assigned to her”. The first line could be re-written in a modern way as “Most gentle, magnificent, and beautiful possessor of every night”. “Vested” can be read as “secured in possession”, but as the term “various” is added onto the front, therefore the word would fully translate to mean “secured in possession through all varieties of night” - and of course the subject of the poem currently is the Moon, so Coleridge says “The Moon owns the night”

“Mild Splendor of the various-vested Night!”

In the second line, Coleridge greets the moon as a friend (evident by the hail at the end), claiming the moon to be the “Birthing creator of all matter and manner of good imagination”, but it could also be read as “The ultimate inspiration behind any sort of projected thought that is “wild” - let us use the term “lunatic” here to describe Coleridge’s idea. A lunatic is essentially an antiquated term for a severely mentally ill person, which natural philosophers believed the Moon to be heavily affecting. I believe they thought that the cycles of the tide must work the same way on the liquids of the human brain and body, as it works on the tides of the sea. Yet Coleridge does not write this line in a mind of fear - he writes it almost like he’s greeting a friend - “Ah, creator of the most imaginative and wild dreams! Hello!”. The term hail was used to greet someone, or say good things about them, and the two exclamation points appear to reinforce the idea that something good is being stated.

“Mother of wildly-working visions! Hail!”

In the third and fourth lines (both are meant to be read together evident by the lack of punctuation ending the third line) Coleridge stops speaking TO the Moon and now starts speaking ABOUT the Moon. Coleridge says “I watch you glide across the night-time sky, while looking at your slightly covered light, your full shape hindered by a cloud (fleecy veil) which makes the moon’s light appear less bright (weak eye glimmers) while also coruscating (watery light to me means glistening and radiating) the light rippling through the cloud as if reflected by a body of water.

It is interesting to note the term “veil” is a word referencing a piece of very fine, thin, white cloth that conceals or protects a woman's face, traditionally worn with a wedding dress, or during a wedding, only lifting the veil to kiss the groom. This term is not a coincidence when one imagines the Moon’s “weak eye glimmering through a fleecy veil”. It is evident that Coleridge is including intentionally female words, almost borderline calling the Moon a hiding bride, clearly he envisions the Moon to be as radiant and seductive as one’s bride on one’s wedding.

“I watch thy gliding, while with watery light

Thy weak eye glimmers through a fleecy veil;”

Coleridge is now speaking to the Moon again directly in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth lines, but not the ninth, which despite the period at the end of the eighth line should be read continuously. Coleridge continues on with the idea of the moon hiding (evident by the semicolon punctuating the fourth and sixth line) within the night that she possesses. Coleridge says “and when you (The Moon) love to hide your pale light within the darkness of night, when you (The Moon) awaken your nighttime sky as you shine your peaceful lunar light after your “fleecy veil” of a cloud disappears, blown aside by a considerable gust (wind-rent cloud): All this description of The Moon is the same description of the act of Hope and Salvation in Coleridge’s mind; just as mutable and just as legitimate (fair is a synonym of legitimate). It is interesting to note that once again, fair is a word that can also be used to refer to both a woman and her appearance. A woman can have fair hair (light and blonde) or a woman can BE a fair. When used as a noun (albeit archaic) it is used to refer to a most beautiful woman.

“And when thou lovest thy pale orb to shroud

Behind the gather'd blackness lost on high;

And when thou dartest from the wind-rent cloud

Thy placid lightning o'er th' awakened sky.

Ah, such is Hope! As changeful and as fair!”

In the final and remaining lines ten to fourteen, Coleridge again refers to The Moon as if it is the personification of Hope, as if it is a natural phenomenon, just as how he’s referred to The Moon in the first eight lines of the poem: being capable of hiding, peeking, peering, sharing, and inspiring influence.

Coleridge says “[I myself as the author] Now perceive a feeling of regretful longing for Hope to return as The Moon does, when I look upon it disappearing. The Moon, like Hope, is hidden beyond something opaque and impenetrable [A cloud both literal and metaphorical] that can be described as Despair incarnate - hiding both Hope and The Moon beyond it’s totally darkening and enveloping thoughts like the wings of an ancient and impenetrable dragon.”

But just as Hope will disappear on-and-off like The Moon does nightly, it just as well will return as The Moon does every night, even if one cannot see it. “But soon [Hope like The Moon] will emerge with coruscating and dazzling inspiration and power (radiant might). Hope conquers the horrible, foggy, and sorrow-filled thoughts [cares] that reside in the hearts [breasts] of human beings, just as The Moon is applicable to rise above or peek through a cloud of darkness on a given night.

To end the poem, Coleridge states that “The Moon sails across the sky above me, and watching her reminds me of the Hope that I know can rise above and dominate my cares as quickly a burning meteor - just as the The Moon I’m perceiving sails across the sky as a literal burning meteor that is a satellite of this Earth”.

“Now dimly peering on the wistful sight;

Now hid behind the dragon-wing'd Despair:

But soon emerging in her radiant might

She o'er the sorrow-clouded breast of Care

Sails, like a meteor kindling in its flight.”

Outro - Coleridge claims in his “Sonnet to the Autumnal Moon” that Hope is as mutable as The Moon coming in Autumn. Hope is the inspiration that conquers many of life’s darkest and most frightening moments, just as the Moon creates literal light when the darkest moment of the day arrives - pitch black night - and Hope, like The Moon, is just as subject to being concealed by sorrow-filled cares, as The Moon’s light is to being concealed by a cloud; But Hope, just like The Moon’s light will always shine through, rising above the night if only you know the location to look, and are patient.