Coleridge's "Dura Navis" - 1787
Dura Navis (literal translation is “Hard Ship” but because Classical Latin is such an open ended language it is more commonly and colloquially known as the dangers of sea travel), is and was one of Coleridge’s first known poems, written as part of an assignment when he was a school-boy, attending Christ’s Hospital at the age of 15. Nonetheless the poem is still racked with imagery and passion known in some ways to Coleridge: sea travel (Coleridge’s brother Frank was a sailor), the moon, life, loneliness. These were actions or ideas or emotions that Coleridge was already employing in one of his first pieces of poetry. Coleridge had already begun the art of exchanging physical feelings for poetical feelings in a way more above the other children when he was at the age of 15, when nowadays most of us are just discovering what it is that we’re into and why. That is why Dura Navis and other early poems of Coleridge’s are so important: Coleridge understood and recognized the intricacies of poetry early on, and was naturally gifted while also studying his art. These early poems, through their lasting of time (it is 235 almost 236 years old upon writing currently) and because of the fact that this poem is still in circulation and has multiple analysis and summaries on it is a proving factor to show the power and understanding of Coleridge’s poetic mind even at a stage when his mind was not fully developed.
