By Siti Sarah Sofea
“On Being Cautioned Against Walking on an Headland Overlooking the Sea, Because It Was Frequented by a Lunatic” by Charlotte Smith
Is there a solitary wretch who hies
To the tall cliff, with starting pace or slow,
And, measuring, views with wild and hollow eyes
Its distance from the waves that chide below;
Who, as the sea-born gale with frequent sighs
Chills his cold bed upon the mountain turf,
With hoarse, half-uttered lamentation, lies
Murmuring responses to the dashing surf?
In moody sadness, on the giddy brink,
I see him more with envy than with fear;
He has no nice felicities that shrink
From giant horrors; wildly wandering here,
He seems (uncursed with reason) not to know
The depth or the duration of his woe.
As one of the key figures during the transition from the Neoclassical to the Romanticism era, Charlotte Smith left a significant contribution to the characteristics of Romantic works through her poem collection, “Elegiac Sonnets”. In the poem “On Being Cautioned Against Walking on an Headland Overlooking the Sea, Because It Was Frequented by a Lunatic” particularly, Smith explored human emotions, celebrated nature, and offered a female voice in literature.
If someone ever accuses you of being irritated when arguing when— in truth— they have run out of arguments, they are projecting their feelings toward you. Instead of acknowledging that they are not able to continue the argument, they shift the focus away from themselves and project their feeling of irritation instead. In the poem, the speaker projected her feelings and thoughts unto the lunatic that society cautioned her of. Instead of following the warning and being fearful of the lunatic, she feels envious of the lunatic herself. The speaker’s contemplation through the lunatic figure is a reflection of her psychological state; the one who measures the distance of the cliff from the waves is the speaker herself, or her envy of the lunatic’s freedom from “nice felicities” or social expectation is the evidence of her yearning to challenge the social roles she has.
The use of ‘headland overlooking the sea’ as the setting of the poem is a form of nature celebration as the speaker explores her emotions using the vastness and sense of awe that nature provides, which reflect Romanticism's emphasis on the sublime of nature. The lines that describe the mad guy as measuring the distance between the cliff and the chiding waves with “wild and hollow eyes” suggest the sense of fear and awe that the sea evokes. Human behaviours such as ‘chide’ and ‘sighs’ are used to suggest the connection that the speaker might have with nature. Through the engagement with nature in the poem, the speaker is provided with the avenue to express the hidden feelings that she could not usually express.
Reflecting Romanticism’s ideals of moving away from the restraint of previous literary styles, Smith can also be said to be paving the path for female writers after her as she asserts the female voice in her literary work. By projecting the speaker’s feelings and thoughts upon the silent lunatic male, it is in a sense, a form of subversion of the traditional suppression of the female voices that was prevalent in the literary landscape. By giving the female speaker dominance in narratives, it allows the spotlight on females’ experiences and perspectives.
The exploration of human emotions and the celebration of nature in the poem are among the elements that are aligned with Romantic characteristics. Moreover, the usage of a female voice in the poem can be claimed as the spark for the small flame of other marginalised and oppressed voices in Romanticism. These elements are the very reflection of the shift from traditional poetic conventions as they challenge the restraining norms and give voice to those who have long been silenced.
To end this article, I would like to recommend some of the poems from Charlotte Smith's "Elegiac Sonnets" collection that resonate with Romanticism elements, ones that are discussed and are not yet explored in this article: "Written at the Close of Spring", “To Night”, “To the Moon” and “The Sea View”.
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