Christabel - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
/Christabel - Samuel Taylor Coleridge/
A Haunting Gothic Vision of Innocence and Supernatural Intrigue
Original Poem (English), line by line (selected excerpts due to length):
PART THE FIRST
'Tis the middle of night by the castle clock,
And the owls have awakened the crowing cock;
Tu—whit!—Tu—whoo!
And hark, again! the crowing cock,
How drowsily it crew.
Sir Leoline, the Baron rich,
Hath a toothless mastiff bitch;
From her kennel beneath the rock
She maketh answer to the clock,
Four for the quarters, and twelve for the hour;
Ever and aye, by shine and shower,
Sixteen short howls, not over loud;
Some say, she sees my lady’s shroud.
Is the night chilly and dark?
The night is chilly, but not dark.
The thin gray cloud is spread on high,
It covers but not hides the sky.
The moon is behind, and at the full;
And yet she looks both small and dull.
The night is chill, the cloud is gray:
'Tis a month before the month of May,
And the Spring comes slowly up this way.
(Christabel finds Geraldine)
...
She had dreams all yesternight
Of her own betrothéd knight;
And she in the midnight wood will pray
For the weal of her lover that’s far away.
She stole along, she nothing spoke,
The sighs she heaved were soft and low,
And naught was green upon the oak,
But moss and rarest mistletoe:
She kneels beneath the huge oak tree,
And in silence prayeth she.
The lady sprang up suddenly,
The lovely lady, Christabel;
It moaned as near, as near can be,
But what it is she cannot tell.—
On the other side it seems to be,
Of the huge, broad-breasted, old oak tree.
(Christabel meets a mysterious figure, Geraldine)
...
She had a robe of silken down;
This robe, which without clasp or band,
From top to toe was her flowing dress,
And closely clasped her lovely hand.
And thus she stood, in wretched plight,
So wan, so wild in her attire,
And looked as if she had known no pleasure
For many a day and many a year;
And listlessly she stood, with drooping head,
Like one that is forlorn and dead.
(Geraldine’s stay at the castle)
...
And thus the lofty lady spake—
All they who live in the upper sky,
Do love you, holy Christabel!
And you love them, and for their sake
And for the good which me befell,
Even I in my degree will try,
Fair maiden, to requite you well.
But now unrobe yourself; for I
Must pray, ere yet in bed I lie.
(PART THE SECOND—selected lines)
Each matin bell, the Baron saith,
Knells us back to a world of death.
These words Sir Leoline first said,
When he rose and found his lady dead:
These words Sir Leoline will say
Many a morn to his dying day!
...
‘A little child, a limber elf,
Singing, dancing to itself,
A fairy thing with red round cheeks,
That always finds, and never seeks,
Makes such a vision to the sight
As fills a father’s eyes with light:
And pleasures flow in so thick and fast
Upon his heart, that he at last
Must needs express his love’s excess
With words of unmeant bitterness.’
(The poem breaks off abruptly; Coleridge never completed “Christabel.”)
Note: “Christabel” remains unfinished. The excerpts above highlight key passages reflecting the poem’s setting, mysterious atmosphere, and main characters. For the full text, please consult a reliable literary source.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Christabel” is an incomplete Gothic poem composed in two parts, published in 1816, though begun much earlier. Its narrative focuses on the young, devout Christabel and her eerily captivating houseguest, Geraldine. The work begins with Christabel wandering outside her father’s castle at midnight, where she discovers Geraldine, distressed and claiming she was abducted. Moved by compassion, Christabel offers her sanctuary, but soon unsettling details suggest Geraldine’s supernatural or malign nature.
Coleridge weaves together Romantic sensibilities—an atmospheric nighttime setting, supernatural undertones, and the gentle innocence of a central protagonist—with Gothic elements of mystery and foreboding. The poem’s first part introduces the two contrasting figures: Christabel, pious and pure, and Geraldine, who appears vulnerable yet possibly deceptive. Sir Leoline, Christabel’s father, becomes another focal point, reflecting both paternal affection and a lingering sorrow from his deceased wife. The second part deepens the poem’s ominous aura. Subtle hints—such as Geraldine’s strange behavior in Christabel’s room, her wavering eyes, and the unnatural hush that surrounds her—suggest a hidden evil force.
A hallmark of “Christabel” is its skillful use of half-revealed truths. The poem builds suspense through incomplete clues: Geraldine’s unexplained power, Christabel’s conflicted feelings, and Sir Leoline’s unwavering hospitality. Dreams, prayers, and ominous imagery—like the castle’s mastiff howling at midnight—all feed into the tension between what is openly stated and what lurks beneath the surface. This tension intensifies the question of Geraldine’s identity and motivations, which remain unresolved, as Coleridge never finished the poem.
Despite its fragmentary nature, “Christabel” profoundly influenced the Gothic genre and the Romantic imagination. Its hypnotic meter and incantatory rhythms evoke a dream-state, highlighting Coleridge’s fascination with the psychological landscapes of fear, desire, and innocence under siege. Modern scholars often interpret Geraldine as a symbol of erotic danger or repressed energies. Alternatively, she may represent pure malevolence, a catalyst exposing the vulnerabilities within a supposedly safe household.
Ultimately, the poem’s allure lies in its ambiguity. We sense a deep cosmic tension between spiritual purity and something dark, perhaps demonic, swirling around Geraldine’s presence. In leaving the narrative unfinished, Coleridge amplifies the mystery. “Christabel” endures as a prime example of Romantic Gothic, illustrating how suggestion, emotion, and supernatural elements can combine to create a hauntingly beautiful, if unresolved, poetic world. (Approx. 380 words)
Key points
1. “Christabel” merges Romantic lyricism with Gothic intrigue, emphasizing atmosphere over explicit resolution.
2. Christabel’s innocence contrasts sharply with Geraldine’s unsettling aura.
3. Ambiguity—especially around Geraldine’s true nature—heightens the poem’s eerie tension.
4. Coleridge’s use of hypnotic meter and fragmentary storytelling fosters an immersive, dreamlike experience.
5. The poem’s unfinished state leaves readers with lingering questions, underscoring the power of the unsaid in Gothic literature.
