Poet’s Corner: Coleridge–Christabel 22

26 June 2026

(12 June 2015) We return with another installment from Coleridge’s unfinished, supernatural poem, “Christabel.” Last time, we saw the Baron’s reaction to Geraldine’s ‘sad story’; this time we look at Christabel’s reaction as the Baron takes Geraldine in his arms to comfort her:

And now the tears were on his face,
And fondly in his arms he took
Fair Geraldine, who met the embrace,
Prolonging it with joyous look.
Which when she viewed, a vision fell
Upon the soul of Christabel,
The vision of fear, the touch and pain!
She shrunk and shuddered, and saw again—
(Ah, woe is me! Was it for thee,
Thou gentle maid! such sights to see?)

Again she saw that bosom old,
Again she felt that bosom cold,
And drew in her breath with a hissing sound:
Whereat the Knight turned wildly round,
And nothing saw, but his own sweet maid
With eyes upraised, as one that prayed.

Our heroine is struck again with that terrible vision of Geraldine as something other than she appears to be: “old” and “cold” with feelings of fear and pain; we remind our readers that this vision is what she saw in the night as Geraldine undressed and prepared to join our heroine in bed. Just what is Geraldine, really? Her whole tale of woe, repeated and embellished, is called into question by this doubled vision of Christabel, seeing her as a decrepit, old hag, belying her appearance of youth and beauty. We ask again, what is she? And how does she appear both young and old, both beautiful and ugly? There is only one real answer, that Geraldine is a witch, a supernatural creature with ‘unholy powers’; if so, then why is she here? What is her purpose in this castle, with Christabel and her father, the Baron? Is she really here to resolve the differences between the Baron and her supposed father? Such a reason is inconsistent with the nature of the witch, whose purpose is usually to destroy. So why is she here, now? Next time we will look at the Baron’s reaction to his daughters ‘sharp breath,’ and her answer. Until then, good reading!