Samuel Taylor Coleridge admires the nightingale's song in his conversational poem, but he also says goodbye. He does this through the use of the word "farewell" on a few occasions. "Farewell, O Warbler! till to-morrow eve, And you, my friends! farewell, a short farewell!" At the end of the poem he writes, "Once more farewell, Sweet Nightingale! once more, my friends! farewell." Not only does he bid farewell to the nightingale, but he is also addressing his friends. By doing so, he is making it clear that both are equally important to him. In other words, nature and humanity are of equal value. Coleridge hopes to see his friends and the nightingale again, and that's why he says goodbye to them in such a warm way. He could have not said anything and just left, but as a sign of respect and appreciation, he bids them "farewell" in hopes of seeing them soon. It's important that he chose the word "farewell" rather than something more casual because once again this points out the importance and respect that he has for his friends and the nightingale and this way, Coleridge is leaving in a "civil" way.
As to the meaning of the word, the Oxford English Dictionary defines it as "a parting salutation, formal leave-taking" which is how Coleridge used it in his poem. If you were to separate the word into two words (fare and well), it would also have a significant meaning. One way that the American Heritage Dictionary defines the word "fare" is "to get along." The definition of "well" came up as "in a close or familiar manner" or "with care and attention." As you can see, this confirms Coleridge's proper word choice (diction) because if you put the definitions together, you could infer that Coleridge was close with the nightingale and his friends and he cared about them.
Farewell Song
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Maggie -
ReplyDeleteI like your focus on a particular word in the poem and it is certainly significant to note that he is interacting with both the nightingale as a representative of the natural world and with his human companions. Another aspect of this moment in the poem that might bear further consideration is the way Coleridge, after bidding farewell the first time, resumes his "conversation" with a story about his child before saying farewell once again. Since you're not pointing out any meaning that would not be immediately apparent, the definitions you include don't add much to your argument.