Sonnet: On Receiving a Letter Informing Me of the Birth of a Son
Weigh’d down my spirit! I retired and…
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and a founder of the Romantic Movement. Born in Ottery St Mary, Devon, he showed an early affinity for literature, which he pursued passionately at Christ’s Hospital School and later at Jesus College, Cambridge. Coleridge is best known for his poetry, particularly "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Kubla Khan," reflecting his mastery of imaginative and lyrical verse.
Despite his literary success, Coleridge's life was marred by personal struggles, including financial instability and opium addiction, the latter of which he initially took for medical reasons. His friendship with fellow poet William Wordsworth resulted in the seminal collection "Lyrical Ballads" (1798), a work that redefined the landscape of English poetry and laid the groundwork for Romantic literature.
Coleridge also made significant contributions to literary criticism, notably with his work "Biographia Literaria" (1817), which combined autobiographical elements with philosophical discourse on literature and criticism. His ideas on the imagination and the unifying power of the artistic spirit influenced contemporary and later thinkers.
In his later years, Coleridge’s health declined, and he lived under the care of physician James Gillman in Highgate, London, where he continued to write and engage intellectually until his death in 1834. His legacy endures as an essential figure in the Romantic era's intellectual and poetic foundations.