France: An Ode - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
/France: An Ode - Samuel Taylor Coleridge/
A Reflection on Revolutionary Zeal and Political Disillusion
Original Poem (English), line by line (selected excerpts due to length):
(Opening Lines)
Ye Clouds! that far above me float and pause,
Whose pathless march no mortal may controul!
Ye Ocean-Wards! who roam and roar at large,
Where am I, where? Beneath this clay-cold mole,
That I such shame should be! who once from heaven’s care
The purest breezes drank; and in a dream divine,
Possessed the glories that ye only share,
When nature breathes in melody serene
Through the soft spirit of the blue serene.
(Later Excerpt, focusing on Revolutionary France)
When France in wrath her giant-limbs upreared,
And with that oath, which smote air, earth, and sea,
Stamped her strong foot, and said she would be free,
Bear witness for me, how I hoped and feared!
With what a joy my lofty gratulation
Unawed I sang, amid a slavish band:
And when to whelm the disenchanted nation,
Like fiends embattled by a wizard’s wand,
The Monarchs marched in evil day,
And Britain joined the dire array;
Though dear her shores and circling ocean,
Though many friendships, many youthful loves
Had swoln the patriot emotion,
And flung a magic light o’er all her hills and groves;
Yet still my voice, unaltered, sang defeat
To all that braved the tyrant-quelling lance,
And shame too long delayed and vain retreat!
For ne’er, O Liberty! with partial aim
I dimmed thy light or damped thy holy flame;
But blessed the pæans of delivered France,
And hung my head and wept at Britain’s name.
(Excerpt from the Conclusion)
Forgive me, Freedom! O forgive those dreams!
I hear thy voice, I hear thy loud lament,
From bleak Helvetia’s icy caverns sent—
I hear the groans that shake thy rocky streams!
Heroes, that for your peaceful country perished,
And ye that, fleeing, spot your mountain-snows
With bleeding wounds; forgive me, that I cherished
One thought that ever blessed your cruel foes!
To scatter rage and traitorous guilt
Where Peace her jealous home had built;
A patriot-race to disinherit
Of all that made their stormy wilds so dear;
And with inexpiable spirit
To taint the bloodless freedom of the mountaineer—
O France, that mockest Heaven, adulterous, base,
In gain and luxury, the dull, the cold—
Ah! from the ghost of him whom thy curst embrace
Hath slain, what tears of blood shall down thy bosom roll!
Note: “France: An Ode” is a longer poem originally published in 1798 (and further revised). The excerpts above illustrate the main thematic movements: Coleridge’s initial ardor for the French Revolution, his subsequent disillusionment when it turned violent and imperialistic, and his lament over Britain’s political entanglements. For the entire poem, please consult a complete literary source.
“France: An Ode” captures Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s intense emotional and political reaction to the French Revolution. Initially, Coleridge salutes the ideals of liberty he once believed France embodied. He supports the overthrow of old tyrannies and hopes for a universal liberation from oppressive monarchies. With vivid, exhortatory language, he evokes the revolutionary fervor that spread across Europe, and even calls out his native Britain for siding against the newly formed republic.
However, the poem soon reveals a profound sense of disillusionment. As France shifts from a beacon of democracy to a force that betrays its original principles, Coleridge laments the transformation into aggression and conquest. The poet highlights how Britain, too, becomes complicit when aligning with monarchs who seek to crush France’s experiment. This dual condemnation underscores the complexities of political idealism—how a moment of liberating promise can devolve into destructive excess.
Despite his impassioned critique, Coleridge’s underlying Romantic ethos emerges through his appeal to universal values of freedom and moral accountability. The work pivots on the poet’s sense of personal betrayal—he mourns not only France’s betrayal of its people but also his own naive hopes. Coleridge sees in the revolution’s trajectory a cautionary tale about how swiftly noble ideals can be distorted. The final stanzas speak to the deeper grief of witnessing liberty sullied by corruption.
In essence, “France: An Ode” shows Coleridge wrestling with national identity and international politics. Torn between patriotic attachment to Britain and a universal love for liberty, he channels personal emotion into a broader reflection on the cost of political upheaval. By fusing personal anguish with public events, Coleridge produces a resonant commentary on the promises and perils of revolution, shining light on the Romantic belief that emotional conviction can—and often should—inform our judgments about justice and human dignity. (Approx. 300 words)
Key points
1. Coleridge initially welcomed the French Revolution, seeing it as a beacon of freedom.
2. Disillusion sets in once France drifts into imperial ambition and betrays its own ideals.
3. Britain’s intervention disappoints Coleridge, reflecting tensions between patriotism and universal liberty.
4. The poem underscores Romantic values of individual conscience and emotional truth in political critique.
5. Coleridge’s mixed feelings highlight the fragile, often fleeting nature of revolutionary hope.