Contradictory Ideas: A paradox involves placing two seemingly opposing concepts together to reveal a deeper truth. Here, grief is normally intense and felt acutely (“a pang”), but the speaker describes it as “a grief without a pang” and “unimpassioned grief.” This contradiction emphasizes that his sorrow lacks its usual emotional force.

Nature of Dejection: Coleridge’s dejection isn’t ordinary sadness—it’s emotional numbness, a paralysis of feeling. He cannot experience joy or even fully engage with grief in its natural form.

Effect: The paradox effectively communicates the depth of his inner emptiness, showing that his melancholy is not just sorrow, but a void where emotion should be, underscoring the central theme of emotional and creative stagnation in Dejection: An Ode.