Poet’s Corner: Coleridge–Christabel 28

13 July 2026

(31 July 2015) We remind our readers that in the last installment, after Bracy the bard says he will not go to Geraldine’s father’s house until he has destroyed the threat to Christabel, Sir Leoline, her father, vows to the lady–Geraldine–that he and her father will destroy this threat to her (although when was Geraldine threatened?!?). Further, we saw Geraldine look sideways at Christabel, and the poet reports to us what Christabel sees, and what happens as a result:

A snake’s small eye blinks dull and shy;
And the lady’s eyes they shrunk in her head,
Each shrunk up to a serpent’s eye
And with somewhat of malice, and more of dread,
At Christabel she looked askance!—
One moment—and the sight was fled!
But Christabel in dizzy trance
Stumbling on the unsteady ground
Shuddered aloud, with a hissing sound;
And Geraldine again turned round,
And like a thing, that sought relief,
Full of wonder and full of grief,
She rolled her large bright eyes divine
Wildly on Sir Leoline.

Christabel sees Geraldine’s eyes change from human to snake, feeling the full force of her malice. She sees it for a moment only, but in that moment, we are told, a ‘dizzy trance’ falls upon Christabel, she stumbles, nearly falls, almost faints, shudders audibly, but her father appears to miss this swoon, as Geraldine turns her powerful gaze upon the Baron, now looking forlorn and in need, and the Baron accepts her look and need without question. The juxtaposition of the powerful gaze with serpentine eyes brings to mind the gaze of Medusa, which turns all who meet her eyes to stone. The poet continues:

The maid, alas! her thoughts are gone,
She nothing sees—no sight but one!
The maid, devoid of guile and sin,
I know not how, in fearful wise,
So deeply she had drunken in
That look, those shrunken serpent eyes,
That all her features were resigned
To this sole image in her mind:
And passively did imitate
That look of dull and treacherous hate!
And thus she stood, in dizzy trance;
Still picturing that look askance
With forced unconscious sympathy
Full before her father’s view—
As far as such a look could be
In eyes so innocent and blue!

The sideways gaze of Geraldine has a powerful effect on Christabel, causing her to mirror that look of hate, her eyes on her father. Without a doubt, we now know that Geraldine has put a powerful enchantment on Christabel, one that controls her actions, thoughts, and feelings, and we are again forced to ask, why? Why Christabel? We remind our readers that Geraldine knew Christabel’s habits well enough to place herself where Christabel would find her, and take her in. But again, why? What has Christabel done to deserve this treatment by one she has rescued? We will continue down this path Wednesday in the succeeding installment of the Poet’s Corner. Until then, good reading!