“On Receiving a Letter Informing Me of the Birth of a Son” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
When they did greet me Father, sudden Awe
Weigh'd down my spirit! I retired and knelt
Seeking the throne of grace, but inly felt
No heavenly visitation upwards draw
My feeble mind, nor cheering ray impart.
Ah me! before the Eternal Sire I brought
The unquiet silence of confused Thought
And shapeless feelings: my o'erwhelmed Heart
Trembled: & vacant tears stream'd down my face.
And now once more, O Lord! to thee I bend,
Lover of souls! and groan for future grace,
That, ere my Babe youth's perilous maze have trod,
Thy overshadowing Spirit may descend
And he be born again, a child of God!
Question Use the poem to answer the question.
What is the effect of the couplet in the first quatrain? (1 point)
Responses
It establishes the narrator’s sense of hope.
It sets the rhythm for the remainder of the poem.
It conveys that the narrator is overwhelmed.
It emphasizes sorrow in the narrator’s decision to kneel.
It highlights the initial rhyme, which changes throughout the poem.