Vocabulary in The Eolian Harp

“Plastic” is used here as an adjective meaning soft, supple, and malleable, the opposite of rigid and inflexible or unbending.

“Phantasies,” a variant spelling of “fantasies,” refers to thoughts or desires born of the imagination. In context, Coleridge’s speaker describes the “wild and various” ideas that come to him through nature, comparing them through a simile to the “random gales” of music created on the eolian harp. The passage moves the poem from a description of the music of the harp to an expression of an unconventional spiritual belief in the lines that follow.

In context, “main” refers to the sea, undoubtedly Bristol Channel near Clevedon, the poem’s setting. The passage includes both personification and a simile in describing sunshine reflected by the surface of the water. The sunbeams look “like diamonds” (a simile) as they “dance” on the sea (personification). The image is one of light and beauty that is consistent with the poem’s celebration of nature.

In the context of the line, “desultory” means sporadic or inconsistent, indicating that only an occasional breeze passes over the strings of the eolian harp in the window. The description of the breeze implies that the music it creates in the harp is not continuous nor forceful.

“Simplest Lute” refers to an eolian harp, a type of instrument that produces music when wind passes over it and makes its strings vibrate. Coleridge’s speaker draws Sara’s attention to the music being created by an eolian harp placed in a window of the cottage.

The “star of eve” refers to the evening star, a common name for the planet Venus which appears in the western sky after sunset. The beauty of the “star” compensates for the lost beauty of the sunset, suggesting that beauty is found in all of nature.

As used here, “meet” means suitable, proper, or appropriate. In several ancient cultures, jasmine symbolized purity, and the flower of the myrtle symbolized lasting love. Jasmine and myrtle “overgrowing” the cottage suggests a romantic relationship between Coleridge’s speaker and Sara.

Jasmine is a climbing plant known for its fragrant white flowers; myrtle is an evergreen shrub that produces white flowers and red berries. The abundance of these flowering plants at the cottage emphasizes the natural beauty of the poem’s setting.

“Cot” is an abbreviated form of “cottage,” a small, simple home often found in the English countryside. The word underscores the poem’s rural setting.

“Pensive” means reflective or contemplative and suggests being quietly lost in thought. The connotations of the word create an atmosphere of silence and serenity as the poem begins.