Show A POET AND A DREAMER i iCh Ch Characteristic ra Incident of the Boyhood Boyhood Boyhood Boy Boy- hood of Coleridge A story of Coleridge's boyhood boyhood which appears in a book by Mr Wilfred Wilfred Wilfred Wil Wil- fred Brown on the poets poet's childhood and later years shows the dangers dangers- that beset the star-gazer star and also the rewards that come to him him- From his early youth Coleridge lived In a world of books and dreams Yet his favorit favorite favorite favor favor- it ite walk seems to have been the the- Strand Strand- In London the last place lace Inthe in inthe inthe the world for a poet to lose himself In reverie As he strolled down the street he imagined himself swimming the he Hel Hel- HelI I the the feat of which other poets had written and which the poet Byron was to accomplish later Once while the mind of Coleridge was thus thus- far from the busy Strand he absently a thrust his hands before him In them the the- m manner manner of one swimming Suddenly one hand came in contact with a gentleman's gentleman's gentleman's gen gen- pocket The rhe gentleman thinking to capture capture- a thief seized seIzed the hand and exclaim exclaIm- exclaimed ed What So young and so wicked He accused the poor poetic boy of an attempt at po pocket ket I With some fright and a few tew tears the boy explained and we can imagine ImagIne- that words did not fail fall him who was to J 1 become the most brilliant talker of ot othIs his age The gentleman was delighted with Coleridge's imagination which could turn the Strand into the Helles Helles- pont The Intelligence of the young Leander made the stranger Inquire Into into into in In- to Coleridge's tastes and when he he- t found the boy hoy liked books he opened for him a subscription at the circulating circulating ing library in Cheapside j |