A Complaint - Wordsworth
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Critical analysis
A Complaint
Critical analysis
By Dhruv Raghavan
AS Level Literature
Question: Comment closely on the poem ‘A Complaint’ focussing on how
Wordsworth expresses his sense of loss.
The poem A Complaint is a contemplative, pensive poem reflecting on the darkest days in
the friendship between Wordsworth and Coleridge, two pioneers of the Romantic Revival.
It is a complaint, a lament of the loss of their bond during Coleridge’s crippling opium
addiction that resulted in them falling apart. The poem A Complaint employs conventional
poetic techniques of the Romantic Revival in order to express Wordsworth’s despair at the
loss of such a powerful bond. The employment of medias res, beginning in the midst of
narration while slowly turning back time, helps to reinforce the idea of the contemplative
mood of this poem and, in doing so, it employs formidable poetic devices in order to
accentuate the central theme of the poem – loss, of friendship, and of a companion to share
the poet’s zealous poetic ideals with.
One feature that is most prominent in this poem is the usage of figurative language as well
as symbolism in order to represent simply, yet eloquently the love between the two and the
change in it, symbolised by the water, which presents to readers a sentimental complaint of
the loss of friendship and of a long separation caused by the estrangement between the
two, however the inherent theme is subject to interpretation, depending on an individual’s
perception of the term ‘change’, used at the beginning of the poem itself. Should one
interpret the ‘complaint’ to be a reference to the long-term absence, the change in their
friendship, the prominent theme identified is of a sentimental complaint of separation.
However, on the other hand, the change described could be inferred as a loss of a powerful
friendship, rather than separation alone. This would lead to the next theme that is the
agonising loss of inspiration. Coleridge was a source, or ‘fountain’, of inspiration for
Wordsworth, his accomplice in bringing the orthodox literary norms and traditions down
to its knees. In other words, the change illustrated could be of gratitude to Coleridge who
supported Wordsworth in his endeavour. Therefore, the poem could be interpreted to be
an acknowledgement of Coleridge’s role in Wordsworth’s life.
These interpretations of the underlying message of the poem are a result of the poet’s
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fascinating use of water imagery, juxtaposing ‘murmuring’ and bubbling, flowing water to a
lifeless, stagnant moat. The ‘fountain’ introduced in the first stanza is a representation of
their undying fraternal love for each other. Fountains are depicted to be continuous,
eternally bubbling and frothing with life. It is a measurement of the power of the bond they
share, its contents unending, ‘not taking heed / Of its own bounty’. This is a testament to
the power of the friendship, Coleridge being an inspiration for Wordsworth, without any
limits. The camaraderie and comforts provided were eternal, no matter whether
Wordsworth needed only a little; it always provided solace to him, no matter how tiny the
issue. This attestation of their perpetual friendship helps set a precedent, to analyse and
comprehend the severity of the damage sustained by their friendship, which is represented
by the ‘comfortless well’.
Incongruous to the bubbling fountain, the well’s contents is no longer flowing, the formerly
flowing, ‘murmuring’, ‘sparkling’ water replaced by a still, stagnant moat, in a slumber, a
‘soundless silence’. The ‘murmuring’ of the fountain is an example of auditory imagery used
to emphasise the soothing nature of Coleridge and how Wordsworth could seek comfort in
their friendship. The ‘sparkling’ water exemplifies the glistening beauty and power of their
bond. This disparity between the fountain and the well helps provide an accurate depiction
of the condition of their friendship. The water has lost its vivacity, its liveliness, a loss that
symbolises the loss of their friendship, the loss of inspiration for Wordsworth, the loss of a
companion, to whom the poet is indebted. It is in this way that Wordsworth powerfully
uses symbolism and metaphors to accentuate his loss. Water is associated with life, and
their kinship plays a vital role in it, though now it is concealed, hidden potentially for
perpetuity, for all we as readers know.
The poet’s diction, too reflects the impact of Coleridge on Wordsworth’s life. One can
observe Wordsworth’s usage of religious, spiritual words, ‘Blest’ and ‘consecrated’ to refer
to the divine relationship between the two, heightened by the nostalgic tone as he
reminisces their ‘happy moments’. The word ‘Blest’, to me, conveys that their friendship
was ordained by the Heavens, it showcases the sacred nature of their friendship. Their
companionship was like ‘bliss’, with connotations of eternity and endlessness, attributing
to the strength of their bond. The use of sibilance here creates a sense of rhythmic pleasure,
reinforcing the idea of happiness. It is also my opinion that, in spite of the rhyme scheme
(a-b-a-b-c-c), which was a poetic norm of the past, the usage of common, layman language
serves as a reminder of all that Coleridge stood for. As I mentioned earlier, Coleridge and
Wordsworth were the founders of an age where the tradition and orthodoxy was
disavowed and the common man himself could relate to the poetry. This simplistic
vocabulary is a tribute of this and in this way serves to acknowledge his debt to Coleridge.
The exuberant tone of the poet’s words earlier help to set a scene, to portray all that would
be lost with their friendship. The holiness of their friendship exemplifies its grave
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importance. It underscores what the poet and Coleridge would lose with their
estrangement, and creates a sense of disappointment and melancholy. It is followed by the
temporal marker, ‘Now’, which snaps readers back to reality, leaving us disheartened.
Furthermore, this sense of disappointment and sorrow is evident in the poet’s writing as
well, indicating his misery. The use of caesurae via parentheses in the final stanza, resulting
in the unevenness of the lines highlights the poet’s emotional stress and the toll taken on
him by their disagreement.
However, there is a glimmer of hope as the poet suggests that the ‘well’ is not completely
dry; to the readers’ dismay, though, it is snatched away as the poet laments, ‘What matter?
If the waters sleep in silence and in obscurity’. He is convinced that things will never be the
same again and all hope is lost; the word ‘obscure’ refers to the unknown, and suggests that
all the positivity in their friendship was on the verge of being forgotten.
Moreover, the majority of Wordsworth’s figurative language is prevalent in this stanza.
Here the poet returns to the theme of change, highlighting that this change in their kinship
has left an impact on his ‘fond heart’, a synecdoche, his heart representing his entire being,
laying stress upon the impact of the rift on him, the ‘heart’s door’ representative of the
threshold of his heart, which further exemplifies the hurt and despair he is experiencing.
At the end of this stanza, the poem comes to a close, having gone in a full circle, beginning
and ending at the idea of how Wordsworth considered their kinship to be wealth and how
the change had left him ‘poor’, without his sustenance. This showcases the cyclical nature
of the poem.
Even though Wordsworth has left little explicit indication as to the subject in this poem, his
poetry leaves little to the imagination and solicits sympathy from the reader for the poet.
His extensive use of figurative language and imagery enable readers to perceive what
Wordsworth lost in the rift: a friend, and an inspiration who inevitably helped in building
the foundation for poetry as it stands today.