“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!
How do the phrases “throne of grace” and “Eternal Sire” contribute to the meaning or tone of the poem? (1 point)
Responses
They help establish a fearful tone.
They strengthen the religious connotations.
They make it clear who the narrator is talking to.
They highlight the narrator’s sense of excitement.
They convey the relationship between life and death.