Thomas Chatterton

A New Song (Chatterton)

Ah blame me not, Catcott, if from the right way
My notions and actions run far.
How can my ideas do other but stray,

North-Star metaphor

Metaphorical reference to guidance and direction. Suggests the poet feels lost without a clear moral or romantic compass.

Deprived of their ruling North-Star?
A blame me not, Broderip, if mounted aloft,
I chatter and spoil the dull air;
How can I imagine thy foppery soft,
When discord's the voice of my fair?
If Turner remitted my bluster and rhymes,
If Hardind was girlish and cold,
If never an ogle was got from Miss Grimes,
If Flavia was blasted and old;
I chose without liking, and left without pain,
Nor welcomed the frown with a sigh;
I scorned, like a monkey, to dangle my chain,

Monkey and chain

Provocative self-comparison revealing his resistance to romantic manipulation. Implies he refuses to be controlled or perform for others.

And paint them new charms with a lie.
Once Cotton was handsome; I flam'd and I burn'd,
I died to obtain the bright queen;
But when I beheld my epistle return'd,
By Jesu it alter'd the scene.

Conscience vs Vanity

Internal dialogue reveals psychological conflict. The poem dramatizes the tension between self-image and actual perception.

She's damnable ugly, my Vanity cried,
You lie, says my Conscience, you lie;
Resolving to follow the dictates of Pride,
I'd view her a hag to my eye.
But should she regain her bright lustre again,
And shine in her natural charms,
'Tis but to accept of the works of my pen,
And permit me to use my own arms.
Source Wikipedia Poetry Foundation

Reading Notes

Satirical Self-Portrait of a Poet

Chatterton crafts a sardonic self-examination of romantic failure, using wit as a defense mechanism. The poem mocks both his own romantic pursuits and the social conventions of courtship.

He systematically dismantles romantic pretense by revealing the gap between romantic idealization and actual experience. Each stanza exposes a different layer of self-deception, from initial passion to eventual dismissal.

Performative Masculinity

[CONTEXT: Chatterton was a young poet known for literary forgeries and complex personas] The poem performs a kind of masculine bravado that is simultaneously sincere and ironic. By naming specific women and describing his rejections, he transforms potential embarrassment into a form of calculated performance.

The final stanza reveals his ultimate goal: not genuine connection, but recognition of his artistic worth. The women become secondary to his primary concern—establishing his poetic identity.