"Work Without Hope" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"Work Without Hope"

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair-

The bees are stirring - birds are on the wing-

And Winter, slumbering in the open air,

Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring!

And I the while, the sole unbusy thing,

Nor honey make, nor pair, nor build, nor sing.

Yet well I ken the banks where amaranths blow,

Have traced the fount whence streams of nectar flow.

Bloom, O ye amaranths! bloom for whom ye may,

For me ye bloom not! Glide, rich streams, away!

With lips unbrighten'd, wreathless brow, I stroll:

And would you learn the spells that drowse my soul?

Work without Hope draw nectar in a sieve,

And Hope without an object cannot live.

This poem is an excellent example of a Romantic Era poem. In the Romantic Era, personification and apostrophe of nature and the elements were very common. This poem demonstrates these techniques and may more.

Personification is present in this poem from the very first sentence: "All Nature seems at work."  Nature is a concept, and it cannot possibly be at work. Also, the word "nature" is capitalized, which makes it a proper noun. Proper nouns are generally used to refer to something that is actually tangible or concrete, such as an important place or person. Here, Nature is given importance and a human characteristic, which is characteristic of the Romantic Era because Romantic poets sure did get in touch with nature!

Apostrophe is significant in this poem because Coleridge addresses bloom by saying "Bloom, O ye amaranths!" This is an example of apostrophe because Coleridge is talking to "bloom" as if its a real thing. It is a real thing, but not one to be addressed as if it's a person.

These are only a few of the many techniques that were used in the Romantic Era. The Romantic Era of Poetry was known for praising and sometimes even condemning nature, which is what Coleridge does in his poem "Work Without Hope."