Christabel, unfinished Gothic ballad by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, first published in Christabel; Kubla Khan, A Vision; The Pains of Sleep (1816). The first part of the poem was written in 1797, the second in 1800.

Why is Christabel unfinished?

It was also at Keswick that he became addicted to opium. A year later, he added a "Conclusion". The poem is, nevertheless, considered unfinished. He later noted that he was distracted by too many possible endings.

Where was Christabel written?

He began work on "Christabel" in the summer of 1797 when he wrote Part 1 while staying in Somerset, England. He added Part 2 in 1800 while living in the Lake District. At this point, he passed the poem around in manuscript form for his friends to read. Coleridge had planned to add three more parts to the poem.