In stanza one of “The Pains of Sleep” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the speaker lies down to sleep, praying humbly and silently as he does so. He also expresses that he embodies a juxtaposition of weakness and strength from within and without. In the second stanza, he looks back upon the night before when he had prayed loudly because of physical pain. The reason for his pain is a crowd of powerful shapes and thoughts that he had previously scorned. Powerless, he wished for revenge while still quite confused. He focuses this loathing on certain objects, which remain unknown to the reader. These feelings he has inspires fear and shame in both himself and perceived from “others”, although I’m not sure who these others are. Perhaps they are imaginations.
In the final stanza he jumps to the day after the second night in which the same nightmares plagued him. He believes that his hellish nightmares are the worst thing he has ever or will ever experience. He then recalls the third night in which he actually screamed aloud and wept after he had woken. He then believes that his woes were due to a sin he had committed. A sin that he loathed for doing, yet still desired. The last two lines describe his want to be loved and proclaiming those that chose to love him would be loved vigorously in return.
No comments:
Post a Comment