The Suffering of a Sick Soul

The lamb is often representative of suffering and sacrifice which is also true in the ballad The Last of the Flock written by Wordsworth. The narrator is first depicted with the lamb in his arms as he begins to tell his tale. After the Sheppard tells his life story of the sheep, focusing solely on his herd and how it grew from a single lamb, the man is inevitably left with only one lamb. The story – a complete circle, of suffering and sacrifice. The Sheppard bases his whole existence on the sheep, the more sheep he had, the more love he had and in the end he is left with neither sheep nor love.

The question must be asked – can love really come from owning property such as the sheep? Mohandas Gandhi would argue that the Sheppard suffers not because he has to sacrifice his sheep for bread, but because he has a sick soul. We as human beings are on a fruitless drive, for something to satisfy the appetite of our hungry empty souls, and until we stop this cycle – we will not stop the suffering. From the context of the ballad we can infer that the Sheppard is poor, but he does have a house a wife and children. The Sheppard creates his own suffering by yearning for things that will bring him money instead of being satisfied with the simple life. Unlike the Sheppard, Gandhi was able to rid him self of selfless wants and live the simple life.

Compassion is a Survivor

Survivor – it is the term used to describe the meager character of Simon Lee in the ballad by Wordsworth entitled Simon Lee. I believe that Wordsworth constructs much of his ballad around this very word. In the ballad the narrator gives the audience reason to believe that the world is changing around Simon Lee who no longer seems to have a place in society. Simon Lee lives upon the village commons for his master is long deceased and although he has survived through the years, his skills as a legendary huntsman have not.

But must we confine the word survivor to something living?

Lyrical Ballads, which Simon Lee can be found in, was first published in 1798 which is also the start of the Industrial Revolution in Europe. The Industrial Revolution was a feat for mankind, but disastrous to nature; a disaster that Simon Lee most likely experienced towards the end of his life time (which can be noted in the symbolism of the dead old tree). Although people and trees cannot live on forever and survive the inevitable, there is something that can – human compassion – the very thing that the stranger displayed to Simon Lee which made tears flow from his heart! I couldn’t help but think that there will always be people in this world like Simon Lee who need compassion. Therefore it is our responsibility to ensure that compassion is a trait that will survive forever. The song "Compassion" does a great job of enforcing such an idea.

The Creation of a Melancholy World...

“In nature there is nothing melancholy,” and yet the speaker in Coleridge’s ballad, The Nightingale, recalls that the bird’s song has been accused of being exactly this - melancholy. The speaker however, is sitting upon an old mossy bridge watching the water flow silently beneath. It can be assumed the speaker himself is connected with nature and understands the beauty of the bird’s song.

However, in today’s society the thought of sitting on an old mossy bridge can seem rather abstract and distant. We have unintentionally taken the beauty out of nature in pursuit of a better life. Unfortunately, because of this separation, we ourselves have become a population of melancholy souls. The sweet song the Nightingale, instead of being delightful, reminds us of the sorrow we have in our hearts. It can be argued that “When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves.” Coleridge gives a great example of this when he speaks of the child whose cries are comforted once taken outside into the pristine and undisturbed moonlight.

A child such as Severn Suzuku, who pleads to the people of the world to save the environment for the children of the future; a child who cries at night and cannot be comforted by becoming one with undisturbed nature because it no longer exists.

Eternal Mental Purgatory

Many Christians wear the crucifix as a reminder of the love Jesus Christ had for his people, but more importantly that he died for their sins. I believe there is a very strong allusion to the same type of relationship between the Ancyent Marinere and the Albatross. In The Rime of the Ancyent Marinere, Wordsworth writes in the last stanza of Part II “Instead of the Cross the Albatross about my neck was hung.” There is never a reason for why the Marinere shot the albatross, but because of this sin the Albatross lost it's life. The Marinere becomes forever in debt to the Albatross and is forced to tell his story over and over again by Life-in-Death.

Similarly, Christians are in forever debt to Jesus Christ who died on the cross for their sins. They must spend their entire life trying to repay a debt that will never be settled, leaving an everlasting moral guilt. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt. 7:21). One must truly and full heartedly repent their sins to enter heaven. I cannot help but wonder would the Marinere truly be sorry for what he did if it were not for his punishment? Perhaps this is why Life-in-Death won the dice match to keep the Marinere in an eternal mental purgatory. A state of agony that is displayed in the Marinere's face of sorrow.