If the distance between two or more energy levels is comparable to their natural breadth, the levels cease to act independently. The coupling between the levels is then describable by means of a "damping constant matrix." The usual discussions concern themselves with a diagonal damping constant. Below a systematic treatment of emission, absorption and fluorescence is given without this restriction and it is shown how in general the frequencies of emission lines are affected by this radiation coupling. The theory is applied to the calculation of the polarization of fluorescence radiation. It is shown that the coupling state of the lower group of levels of the fluorescence line does not influence the polarization. Results of detailed calculations are given for the polarization of $\mathrm{H}\ensuremath{\alpha}$ excited by absorption of the second line of the Lyman series.