Mortality and the Sublime

Where it surfaces

• On Death

  The poem directly addresses death as a potential awakening, contrasting life's woe with the sublime unknown.

• To Chatterton

  Contrasts the fleeting, 'half-blown' life on earth with the eternal, sublime existence among the stars.

• Sonnet: As from the Darkening Gloom

  The poem contemplates the soul's journey after death, ascending to a sublime, heavenly realm of peace and everlasting love.

• On a Picture of Leander

  The depiction of Leander's drowning and the awe-inspiring power of the sea evoke mortality and the sublime.

• To My Brothers

  The final lines introduce the sublime inevitability of death, contrasting with the cozy domestic scene.

• To Kosciusko

  The poem elevates the name of a mortal hero to a sublime, eternal harmony that reaches the divine.

• Hymn to Apollo

  The speaker contrasts his own insignificance ('a worm') with Apollo's immense power, exploring themes of humility and divine awe.

• Sonnet: After Dark Vapours

  The calm acceptance of death is evoked through the peaceful imagery of a sleeping infant's breath, an hourglass, and a poet's death, suggesting a sublime reconciliation with mortality.

• To Haydon

  The reference to 'Hesperean shine' and 'star in the East' evokes a transcendent, almost divine quality in Haydon's perception.

• On Seeing the Elgin Marbles

  The poem explores the tension between the eternal grandeur of classical art and the speaker's acute awareness of human mortality.

• III

  Glaucus's transformation and centuries-long existence blur the line between life and death, while the crystal edifice houses lovers in a deathlike sleep.

• On Seeing a Lock of Milton’s Hair

  The lock of hair serves as a physical relic connecting the speaker to Milton's immortal spirit, evoking a sense of the sublime.

• A Draught of Sunshine

  The poem explores the terrifying division of soul and body, and the sublime experience of approaching the divine, which borders on madness.

• On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again

  The speaker seeks to be consumed in the 'Fire' of the play and emerge with new wings, evoking the sublime cycle of death and rebirth.

• Sonnet: When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be

  The poem directly confronts the fear of death and the insignificance of personal ambitions in the face of the vast, sublime world.

• To Homer

  The paradox of blindness granting sublime vision and insight into darkness and light.

• The Human Seasons

  The final lines link winter to mortal nature, suggesting that death or decline is an essential part of human experience.

• Isabella, or the Pot of Basil

  The gruesome discovery of Lorenzo's corpse and the supernatural elements, such as his ghostly visitation.

• XXVII

  The serene description of the forest contrasts with the impending violence, evoking the sublime nature of death.

• XXVIII

  The murder and burial of Lorenzo evoke mortality and the sublime horror of the act.

• XXXIV

  The imagery of dying, the potion, and the lance evoke the sublime terror of confronting death and the fragility of life.

• XXXV

  The decayed appearance of Lorenzo's body and the supernatural vision evoke the sublime horror of mortality.

• XXXVI

  The pale shadow's voice from beyond the grave underscores mortality and the eerie sublime.

• XXXVIII

  The description of the tomb and natural decay evokes the sublime nature of death.

• XXXIX

  The speaker's transformation into a shadow and the haunting awareness of life's transience evoke themes of mortality and the sublime.

• XL

  The grave is warmed by love, blending death with transcendent beauty and emotion.

• XLII

  The mention of a brother's bloody knife and the speaker's contemplation of death and the afterlife evoke mortality and the sublime.

• XLIV

  The finding of Lorenzo's earthy bed confronts the characters with mortality in a stark, sublime setting.

• XLV

  The chapter contrasts the idle contemplation of death in a churchyard with the sublime, personal grief of Isabella for Lorenzo.

• Chapter XLIX

  The chapter opens with a reflection on the yawning tomb and wormy circumstance, confronting mortality directly.

• L

  The juxtaposition of death and love's eternal nature reflects on mortality and the sublime.

• Chapter LV

  Imagery of cypress glooms and marble tombs evokes death and the sublime.

• LVI

  Isabel's withering and death are presented with a sublime, tragic grandeur.

• LX

  The discovery of Lorenzo's face in the basil pot confronts the brothers with the horror of death and their crime.

• To Ailsa Rock

  The rock's 'dead eternities' and its inability to awaken emphasize the sublime power of nature and the finality of death.

• Written in the Cottage Where Burns Was Born

  The poem contrasts the mortal body with the immortal fame of Burns, touching on death and legacy.

• Lines Written in the Highlands After a Visit to Burns's Country

  The speaker contemplates the death of the great poet and the sublime, overwhelming power of nature and history, while fearing the loss of his own mind.

• Written Upon the Top of Ben Nevis

  The mist-shrouded mountain evokes the sublime terror of the unknown, while the speaker's inability to see beyond the fog mirrors humanity's limited grasp of death and the afterlife.

• Ode

  Explores the transcendence of death through the eternal nature of poetic souls and their wisdom.

• Fragment of “The Castle Builder”

  The skull, the hour-glass, the passion-flower, and the inscription 'Mene, Mene, Tekel Upharsin' evoke themes of death and the transience of life, while the moonlit, somber atmosphere adds a sublime quality.

• Hyperion

  The fallen Titans embody the sublime tragedy of divine mortality, as Saturn and Hyperion confront the loss of their eternal power and the encroaching new order.

• Book I

  The fallen Titans experience grief, fear, and loss akin to mortal suffering, highlighting the sublime tragedy of divine decline.

• Book II

  The Titans' fall and Hyperion's sorrowful radiance evoke the sublime experience of confronting cosmic decline and the transience of power.

• The Eve of St. Agnes

  The poem juxtaposes the cold, deathly atmosphere (the Beadsman, the sculptured dead) with the passionate, transcendent love of the protagonists.

• II

  The Beadsman's contemplation of the sculptured dead and their icy ache evokes the sublime terror of mortality.

• III

  The Beadsman's death-bell has rung, signaling his impending mortality, while his penance reflects the sublime weight of spiritual devotion.

• XLII

  The chapter depicts the deaths of Angela and the Beadsman, emphasizing the finality and coldness of death.

• IV

  The sacrifice and the desolate town evoke themes of mortality and the sublime, questioning the permanence of life and community.

• I

  References to Lethe, wolf's-bane, nightshade, and death-moth evoke mortality and the boundary between life and death.

• Sonnet: Why Did I Laugh To-Night?

  The poem contrasts the intensity of life's pleasures with the even greater intensity of death, presenting death as life's highest reward.

• La Belle Dame sans Merci

  The death-pale warriors and kings evoke mortality and the sublime terror of being trapped by an otherworldly force.

• Ode to a Nightingale

  The speaker's contemplation of death as a release from suffering, contrasted with the nightingale's immortal song.

• III

  The fleeting nature of beauty and love, and the spectre of death, underscore the chapter's meditation on mortality.

• VI

  The speaker's desire to die peacefully while immersed in the nightingale's song reflects a sublime encounter with mortality.

• VII

  The nightingale is portrayed as immortal, contrasting with human mortality and the transient nature of life.

• Canto I

  The narrator faces death on the marble steps and experiences a sublime rebirth, highlighting the tension between mortality and transcendence.

• Canto II

  Hyperion's insecurity and the Titans' groaning evoke the sublime terror of fallen grandeur and the approach of mortality.

• LXX

  Hum's sudden death from a drunken fall underscores the fragility of life and the mundane yet final nature of mortality.

• The Last Sonnet

  The contrast between the star's eternal, isolated watchfulness and the speaker's wish for a transient, embodied love that ends in a 'swoon to death.'