Two and Seventy Stenches

Cologne

In Köhln, a town of monks and bones,
And pavements fang'd with murderous stones
And rags, and hags, and hideous wenches ;
I counted two and seventy stenches,
All well defined, and several stinks!
Ye Nymphs that reign o'er sewers and sinks,
The river Rhine, it is well known,
Doth wash your city of Cologne ;
But tell me, Nymphs, what power divine
Shall henceforth wash the river Rhine?

                                         Samuel T. Coleridge

Köhln, Germany

The context of this poem is very simple.  Coleridge liked to do a lot of travelling, and he spent some time in Germany.  At the time this was written (1825), sanitation was not one of Europe’s strong suits, and the town of Köhln (pronounced “cologne”), was one of those that was particularly malodorous.  So, to combat the stench, the people would often wear perfumes and the usage of cologne was born.

 

The poem itself is fun to read, a very distinct tone being set in the first line.  A stinky, dirty, all round unpleasant place to be.  I love the last four lines.  I feel like they make a strong statement regarding pollution and the usage of the rivers to deposit our waste.  A couple of centuries later, it is still done.

What do you think?  Did you like this poem?