Coleridge's Poems Glossary

Glossary of Terms

bard

A professional poet, usually employed by a nobleman to perform songs and relate news.

capricious

impulsive, unpredictable, or subject to sudden change

cedarn

having to do with the cedar tree or wood from a cedar tree

cincture

a belt or sash

conversational poem

A poem in which the speaker holds a one-sided dialogue with another person, who listens silently.

dulcimier

a fretted, stringed musical instrument played by plucking or strumming the strings

Eolian

From the Greek god of the winds, Aeolus: having to do with the wind.

genial

friendly or cheerful

grove

A small group of trees, sometimes considered a sacred place by nature-focused religions.

luminous

well-lighted or lit up; illuminated; shining with an inner light

lyric poem

A short poem possessing the qualities of a song. Lyric poems usually express the speaker's emotions and personal feelings.

mastiff

A large, massive, and symmetrically-framed dog; mastiffs are often used as guard dogs.

melancholy

A feeling of deep sadness, sometimes described as depression in modern terms.

nightingale

A small brown bird with a red tail that often sings at night as well as day.

ode

A rhyming poem dedicated to a specific subject, usually written with a serious or dignified tone.

palfrey

a highly valued riding horse in the Middle Ages

Romanticism

In England, a literary and artistic movement of the 18th century which focused on the imagination, nature, strong emotions, and often the supernatural. Romantic poets were known both for experimenting with poetic forms and for writing much of their verse in common, everyday language on mundane (rather than lofty and noble) subjects.

sonnet

A fourteen-line poem holding to a particular rhyme scheme.

speaker

In poetry, the voice which is telling the story or creating the lines is the speaker. While not always identified with the author, in Coleridge's very autobiographical verse, the speaker is often easily identified with Coleridge himself.

wonted

established as a habit; customary