ESSAYI

NCRI
TICI
SM

J
OHNKEATS
POETRY,a c cordingt oMi lton'sfamouss aying,s houldbe" simple,se nsuous ,impa s
sione d."No
onec anque stiont hee mi ne ncy,inKe at
s'spoe t
r y,ofthequa li
tyofs ens uous ness.Keatsa sapoe t
isa bunda ntl
ya nde ncha ntinglys ens u
ous ;theque st
ionwi ths omepe opl ewi llbe,whethe rh ei
s
anyt hinge ls
e .Ma nythi ngsma ybebr oughtf orwa rdwhic hs ee mtos howhi ma sundert he
fascina t
iona nds oledomi nionofs ense,andde s ir
ingnothi ngbe tte
r.The rei stheexclama tionin
oneofhi slett
ers:" Of oral if
eofs ensat
ionsr atherthanoft houghts!"The r
ei sthethesis
,i n
anot her," t
hatwi thagr eatPoe tthes enseofBe autyove r
c ome severyot he rc onsi
derat
ion,or
rathe roblite
r at
e sa l
lcons ide rat
ion."The rei sHa ydon'sstor yofhi m,how" heonc ecovere dhis
tonguea ndt hroa tasfara shec ouldreachwi t
hCa yennepe ppe r
,inor de rtoa ppreci
atethe
deliciousc oldne ssofc la r
e tina llit
sgloryhi sowne xpre
s sion."Onei snotmuc hsurprisedwhe n
Ha ydonf urt
he rte ll
sus ,oft hehe r
oofs uc has tory,thatonc eforsixwe e kstoge t
herhewa s
hardl ye versobe r." Heha dnode c
isionofc ha r
a cter
,"Ha ydona dds;"noobj ectuponwhi c hto
direc thisgre atpowe r
s."

Cha r
actera nds el
f-
cont r
ol,thevir
tusve r
usquela bors one ces s
aryfore ve r
yki ndofgr eatness,
andf ortheg r
e atar
ti
s t
,too,indis
pensable,appea rtobewa nting,cert
ainly,tot hisKe at
sof
Ha ydon'spor trait
ure.The yarewantinga l
sotot heKe atsoft heLe tt
erstoFa nnyBr a wne.The s
e
letter
sma kea sunpleasinga nimpressi
ona sHa ydon' sa ne c
dot es
.Thee di t
orofHa ydon'sjournals
coul dnotwe l
lomi twha tHa ydons ai
dofhi sfr
ie nd,butf orthepublicationoft heLe t
ter
st o
Fa nnyBr a wneIc anse enogoodr easonwha teve r
.Th eirpubl i
cati
ona ppe arstome ,Iconfess,
inexc usa
bl e;theyoughtne vert
oha vebeenpubl ished.Butpubl is
hedthe ya re,a ndweha vet o
takenot i
c eoft hem.Le tter
swr i
tt
enwh enKe at
swa sne a rhise nd,undert hethr ott
linga nd
unma nni
nggr aspofmor t
aldiseas
e,wewi l
lnotj udge .Buthe reisaletterwr it
te ns omemo nths
bef orehewa stakeni l
l.Itispri
ntedjustasKe a
tswr otei t.

"Youha vea bsorb'dme .Ihayeas ens at

iona tthepr esentmome ntasthoughIwa sdiss
ol ving-I
shouldbee xquisit
e lymi sera
bl ewithoutt hehopeofs oons ee
ingyou.Is houldbea f
raidt o
separatemys elff a
rf romyou.Mys we etFa nny,wi llyourhe ar
tne vercha nge?Myl ove,wi l
lit?I
havenol imitnowt omyl ove ....Yournot ec amei nj usther
e.Ic annotbeha ppi
erawa yf rom
you.'Tisr i
che rthana nAr gos yofPe arl
e s
.Donott hreatmee ve ninjest
.Iha vebeenastonish e
d
thatMe nc oulddi eMa rtyr
sf orre l
igion-Iha ves hudde r
eda ti
t.Is huddernomor eIcouldb e
ma rt
yredf ormyRe ligi
on- Lovei smyr eli
gi on-Icoulddi eforthat.Icoulddi eforyou.MyCr eed
isLovea ndyoua rei t
sonl yte net
.Yo uha ver a
vi s
he dmea waybyaPowe rIcannotresi
s t
;a nd
yetIc ouldr esi
sttillIsa wyou;a nde vens inceIha ves eenyouIha vee nde a
vouredoftent o
reasona gainstther easonsofmyLove .'Ic andot hatnomor e-thepa i
nwoul dbetoogr eat.My
loveiss elfi
sh.Ic annotbr eathewi thoutyou. "

1
Ama nwhowr i
tesl ove -l
ett
er sint hiss t
raini spr obablypr edestine d,onema yobs erve,t o
misfortunei nhi slovea ffa
irs;butt ha tisnot hing.Thec ompl e t
ee ne r
va t
ionoft hewr it
e risthe
realpointf orr ema rk.Weha vet het one ,orr a
the rthee ntirewa ntoft one ,thea bandonme ntofa ll
ret
icenc ea nda l
ldi gnity,oft heme relys ens uousma n,oft hema nwhoi spa ssi
on'ss la
ve ."Na y,
weha vet hemi nsuc hwi setha tonei st empt edt ospeake vena sBl a ckwoodort heQua rt
e r
lywe r
e
intheol dda yswontt os peak;onei ste mpt edt os aytha tKe a
ts'sl ove -let
te rist
hel ove -
letterofa
surgeon'sa ppr entice .Ithasini t
sr e l
a xeds e
lf-aba ndonme nts ome thingunde rbreda ndi gnobl e,as
ofayout hi l
lbr oughtup,wi thoutt het rainingwhi c
htea che sust ha twemus tputs omec onstraint
uponourf eelingsa ndupont hee xpr essionoft he m.Itist hes ortofl ovel e tt
erofas urge on's
apprenticewhi c
honemi ghthe arr eadouti nabr eachofpr omi s ec a s
e ,ori ntheDi vorc eCour t.
Thes ens uousma ns pe aksini t,andt h es ensuousma nofaba dlybr eda ndba dlytraineds ort.Tha t
ma nywhoa r ethems elvesals oba dlybr e da ndba dl
yt r
a ine dshoul de njoyi t
,ands houlde ve n
thi
nki tabe aut i
fula ndc har
a cterist i
cpr oduc tionofhi mwhomt he yc allthe i
r"love l
ya ndb eloved
Kea t
s,"doe snotma kei tbetter.The sea r ethea dmirerswhos epa wi nga ndf ondne ssdoe sn ot
goodbutha rmt othef a meofKe a ts;whoc onc entrat
ea ttentionuponwha tinhimi sl east
whol es
omea ndmos tque s
ti
ona ble ;whowor shiphi m,a ndwoul dha vet hewor ldwor shiph imt oo,
asthepoe tof

*Li
ghtf
eet
,da
rkvi
ole
teye
s,a
ndpa
rte
dha
ir,Sof
tdi
mpl
edha
nds
,whi
tene
ck,a
ndc
rea
myb
rea
st.

Thisse nsuousstrai
nKe atsha d,andama nofhispoe t
icpowe r
sc ouldnot,wha teverhisstr
ain,
butshowhi stale
ntini t
.Butheha ss ome t
hingmor e,ands ome thingbetter
.Wewhobe l
iev
e
Ke at
st oha vebeenbyhi sp romise,a ta nyr a
te,ifnotfullybyhi spe r
formance,oneoft heve ry
greate
s tofEngl i
shpoe t
s,a ndwhobe l
ie vealsothatame rel
ysens uousma nc annoteit
herb y
promis eorbype rformancebeave r ygr e a
tpoe t
,becausepoe tryinterpr
e t
slif
e,a ndsolargea nd
nobleapa rtofli
feisoutsideofs uchama n'sken,wec annotbutl ookforsignsi nhimof
some t
hi ngmor ethans e
nsuous ness,fors i
gnsofc hara
c t
e randvi r
tue.Andi nde edtheelementsof
highc ha r
acterKeatsundoubt edl
yha s,a ndthee ff
ortt
ode vel
opt hem;t heeff
or tisfr
ustr
ateda nd
cutshor tbymi sf
ortune,anddi se
a s
e ,a ndt i
me ,butforthedueunde rsta
ndingofKe ats
'swortht he
recognitionofthiseffor
t,andoft hee l
e me ntsonwhi chitwor ked,isne ces
sary.

LordHought on,whopr aise

sve r
ydiscr
iminat
inglythepoe tryofKe at
s,hasonhi scharact
era l
so
ar emarkf
ullofdiscri
mi nat
ion.Hesays:"ThefaultsofKe ats'
sdisposit
ionwe r
epr eci
selythe
contrar
yofthosea t
tr
ibutedtohimbyc ommonopi nion.
"Andhegi ve
sal et
terwritt
enafterthe
deathofKeatsbyhi sbrotherGeorge
, i
nwhi c
ht hewr it
er,speakingofthefantast
icJohnnyKe a
ts
inventedf
orc ommonopi ni
onbyLor dByrona ndbyt her e
viewe rs
,declar
esindignant
ly:" John
wa sthever
ys oulofma nlin
e s
sandcourage,andasmuc hliketheHol yGhos tasJohnnyKe a t
s.
"
Itisimpor
tanttonotethistest
imony,andtolookwe l
lforwha teveril
lust
rat
esandc onfir
msi t.

2
Gre a
twe ightislaidbyLor dHoughtonons uchadi rectpr ofe
ssionoffai
thast hefollowing:
"Thats ortofpr obityanddisi
nte
reste
d ne ss,
"Ke atswr it
e stohisbrother
s,"whic hsuchme nas
Baileypos se
s s
,doe sholdandgraspthet ip-topofa nys pirit
ualhonorst
hatcanbepa idtoa ny
thi
ngi nt hiswor ld.
"Lor dHoughtonsa yst hat"neverha vewor dsmor eeff
e c
tivelyexpr e
ssedthe
convictionoft hes uperi
ori
tyofvirt
uea bovebe autythant hose."Butme re
lytoma keapr ofess
ion
offaithoft heki ndhe r
ema debyKe atsi snotdi f
ficul
t;wha twes houl
dratherlookf orissome
evidenceo ftheinsti
nctforchar
acter
, forvi r
tue,passingi ntoma n'
slif
e,passi
ngi ntohiswor k.

Signsofvi
rtue
,inthetr
uea ndla
rgese
nseoftheword,theins
tinc
tforvi
rtuepa
ssi
ngintot
hel
if
e
ofKe a
tsandstr
engthe
ningit,If
indi
ntheadmira
blewisdoma ndtemperofwhathes
a yst
ohi
s
fr
iendBail
eyont heoccas
ionofaquarr
elbet
weenRe ynoldsa
ndHa ydon:

"Thi
ngsha veha ppenedla t
elyofgr eatpe rpl
exit
y;youmus thavehe ardofthem;Re ynol
dsand
Haydonr et
ort
inga ndr ecri
mina ti
ng,a ndpa rt
ingfore
v er
.Thes a methingha shappenedbetween
Haydona ndHunt .Itisunfortunate;me ns houldhearwithe achother;thereli
vesnottheman
whoma ynotbec utup,a ye,lashedt opiec e
s,onhiswe akestside.Thebe stofme nhavebuta
port
ionofgoodi nt hem....Thes urewa y,Baile
y,isfir
sttoknowama n'sfault
s,andthenbe
pass
ive.If
,aft
e rthat,heinsensiblydr awsyout owardshim,t henyouha venopowe rtobrea
kthe
li
nk.BeforeIfeltintere
stedine it
he rRe ynoldsorHa ydon,

Iwa swellrea
dintheirf
ault
s;yet
,knowingt
hem,Ihavebeencement
inggr
aduall
ywi t
hboth.I
haveana ff
ect
ionforthe
mbot h,f
orrea
sonsal
mostoppos
ite
;andtobothmustIofneces
sit
y
cli
ng,support
edalwaysbythehopethatwhe
nalit
tlet
ime,afewyear
s,sha
llhavetr
iedmemor e
ful
lyintheires
tee
m,Ima ybeabl
etobringt
hemtoget
her
."

Butl
e rha swellsa i
dt ha
t" endeavoringtoenfor
c euponourownmi ndsapract
ica
lse
nseofvirt
ue,
ortobe getinothe rsthatpracti
c a
lse n
seofitwhi c
hama nreal
lyhashimself
,isavi
rt
uousact
."
Ands uc han"e ndea vor
ing"i sthatofKe at
sinthosewordswri
tte
nt oBai
ley.Iti
smoretha
nme re
words;s ojust
lyt houghta nds odiscreet
lyurge
da siti
s,i
tri
sestothehei
ghtofavir
tuousact
.It
isproofofc haracter.

Thes amet hingmaybes a i

dofsomewor dswri
tt
entohi sfri
endCharle
sBr own,whosekin
dne s
s,
will
inglye xert
edwheneve rKeatschosetoavai
lhimselfofit,s
eemedtof r
eehimfroma ny
pres
singne cessi
tyofearninghisownl i
ving.Keat
sfel
tt hathemustnotall
owt hi
ssta
teofthi
ngs
tocontinue.Hede t
ermine dtosethi
ms el
fto"fa
gona sot her
sdo"a tper
iodica
lli
ter
atur
e,r
a t
her
tha
nt oe ndangerhi
sinde pende
nc eandhissel
f-
res
pect;a ndhewrit
estoBrown:

"Ihadgotint
oaha bitofmi ndoflookingtowardsyouasahelpina
lldif
fic
ult
ies
.Thisver
yha bi
t
wouldbetheparentofi dl
enessanddiffi
cult
ies
.Youwi l
lseei
tisadutyIowetomys el
ftobreak
t
hene ckofit
.Idonot hingformys ubsis
tence-
ma kenoexe
rti
on.Attheendofanot
heryearyou
shal
lappla
udme ,notf orvers
es,butforconduct.
"

3
Heha dnot,ala
s,anot
heryearofhea
lthbe
for
ehi
mwhe nheannounc
edthatwhol
esomer
esol
ve;
itt
henwa ntedbutsi
xmonthsofthed a
yofhi
sfa
tala
tta
ck.Buti
nthebr
iefti
meall
owedt
ohim
hedidwha thecouldtokee
phi sword.

Wha tc
hara
c t
er,agai
n,whatstr
engthandcle
arnes
sofjudgment
,inhi
scri
ti
cismofhisown
pr
oducti
ons,ofthepubl
ic,andoftheli
ter
arycir
cle
s!"Hiswordsaf
tert
hesever
erevie
wsof
Endymionhaveof t
enbeenquoted;t
heycannotbequot
edtoooft
en:

"Prai
seorbl ameha shutamome ntar
yeff
ecti
onthema nwhos eloveofbe aut
yinthea bst
rac
t
makeshimas everec r
it
iconhisownwor ks.Myownc ri
tic
ismha sgivenmepa inwi t
houtcom
pari
sonbe yondwha tBlackwoodort heQuart
erl
yc ouldpossi
blyinfl
ict
;a ndal
so,whe nIfeelI
amr i
ght,noe xt
ernalprais
ec angivemesuchagl owa smyowns oli
tar
yr epe
rcept
iona nd
rat
if
icati
onofwha tisfi
ne.J.S.isperf
ect
lyri
ghtinregardtothe"sli
p-shodEndymi on."Thati
tis
soisnof aul
tofmi ne.No!thoughi tmaysoundal i
tt
lepara
doxical,i
tisasgooda sIha dpower
toma keitbymys elf.
"

Anda gai
n,a
sifhehadfores
eenc
ert
ainofhi
sadmi
rer
sgus
hingove
rhi
m,a
ndwa
sre
sol
vedt
o
di
sengagehi
srespons
ibi
li
ty:

"Ihavedonenot
hing,exce
ptf ortheamuseme ntofafewpeopl
ewhor efi
neupontheirfe
eli
ngs
ti
lla
nythi
n gi
ntheun-underst
a ndablewaywi llgodownwiththem.Iha venocausetocompla
in,
hecauseIamc e
rtai
nanythingr ea
llyfi
newillinthes
edayshef e
lt.Ihavenodoubtthati
fIhad
writ
tenOthel
loIshoul
dha vebe encheer
ed.Is hal
lgoonwithpati
e nce
."

Youngpoe
tsal
mosti
nevit
abl
yoverra
tewhatt
heycal
l"t
hemightofpoes
y,"a
ndit
spowerover
t
heworldwhi
chnowis.Keat
sisnotadupeonthi
smatt
era
nymor etha
nheisadupea
boutthe
meri
tofhi
sownperf
ormance
s:

"Iha
venotr
ustwha
teve
rinpoe
try.Idon'
twonde
rati
t;t
hema
rve
list
omehowpe
opl
ere
ads
o
muchofi
t.
"

Hisatt
it
udetowa
rdst
hepubl
ici
stha
tofas
trongma
n,notofawe
akl
inga
vidofpr
ais
e,a
ndma
de
t
o" besnuf
f'
doutbyanar
ti
cl
e":

"Is
halle
verc
ons
ide
rthepubl
ioa
sde
btor
stomef
orve
rse
s,notmys
elft
othe
mfora
dmi
rat
ion,
whic
hc a
nIdowit
hout
."

Anda ga
in,inapa
ssa
gewhe
reonema
ype
rha
psf
indf
aul
twi
tht
hec
api
tall
ett
ers
,buts
ure
lywi
th
not
hingelse:

"Iha venotthesl
ight
estfee
lofhumil
it
yt owardsthepubl
icotoanyt
hingi
ne xi
st
encebutt
he
EternalBeing,t
hePrinci
pleo36/42Beauty,andtheMe mor
yofgreatMen.
...Iwouldbe
subdue dbefor
emyf ri
ends,andt
hankthemf orsubdui
ngme;butamongmul t
it
udesofmenI
havenof eelofst
ooping;Ihatet
heid
eaofhumi lit
ytothem.

4
Ineve rwroteones i
ngleli
neofpoet
rywitht
heleas
tshadowoft houghtabouttheiropi
nion.
Forgivemef orve xi
ngyou,butite
asesmetotel
lyou;Icouldnotlivewithouttheloveofmy
fr
iends :IwouldjumpdownEt naf
oranygre
atpubl
icgood-butIhateama wkis
hpopul ar
it
y.I
cannotbes ubduedbeforethe
m.Mygl orywoul
dbet odauntandda zzl
ethethousandjabber
ers
aboutpi ct
uresandbooks."

Aga
ins
tthe
seart
is
ti
candl i
ter
ary"
jabber
ers,
"amongstwhomByronfa
nciedKea
ts,pr
oba
bly,t
o
bea
lwaysl
ivi
ng,f
lat
te
ringthemandfla
tte
redbythem,hehasye
tanot
herout
bur
st

"
Jus
tsomu c
hasIamhumbl e
dbythege ni
usabovemygrasp,amIexal
teda
ndlookwi
thha
te
a
ndconte
mptuponthel
it
era
ryworld.Whoc ouldwi
shtobeamongthecommonpla
cec
rowdof
t
hel
itt
lef
amous,whoar
eeachindi
vidua
llylosti
nathr
ongma deupoft
hemsel
ves?
"

Andhel ove
sFa nnyBrawnethemore,het
e l
lshe
r,becaus
ehebe
lie
vest
ha tshehasl
inke
dh i
m
forhi
sowns akea ndf
ornothi
ngels
e."IhavemetwithwomenwhoIrea
llythinkwouldl
iket
o
bema r
ri
e dt
oaPoe mandtobegive
na wayby&Nove l
."

Ther eisatoneoft oomuc hbit

ternes
sanddefi
ancei
na llt
his,atonewhichhewi thgrea
t
propriet
ysubdue da ndcorr
ecte
dwhe nhewrot
ehisbeauti
fulpre
f a
cetoEndymi on.Butthethi
ng
tobes eiz
edi s
,thatKe at
sh a
dflintandir
oninhim,t
hatheha dcha r
act
er;thathewa s
,ashis
brotherGeorges ays,"a
smuc hliketheHolyGhostasJohnnyKe ats
,"asthatimagine
dse n
suous
we akli
ng,thedelightoftheli
ter
a ryci
rcl
esofHampste
ad.

ItisapitythatByr on,whos omi sconceivedKe at

s,shouldneverha veknownhows hrewdly
Ke at
s,ontheot herha nd,hadc ha
rac t
eri
zedhim,a s"afinethi
ng"int hes pher
eof" t
hewor l
dly,
theat
rica
l,andpa ntomi mical
."Buti ndeednothingismor eremarkableinKe atstha
nhisc l
ear
-
sighte
dness,hislucidity;andluci
dityisinits
e l
fakintoc ha
ract
erandt ohi ghands e
verework.In
spite
,there
fore,ofhi soverpowe r
ingf ee
lingforbeauty,inspi
teofhi ssensuousnes
s,inspit
eof
hisfaci
li
ty,inspiteofhi sg i
ftofexpressi
on,Ke at
sc ouldsa
yr es
olutely:

"Iknownothing,Ihaverea
dnothing;a
ndImeant
ofoll
owSolomon'sdi
rec
ti
ons :'
Getlear
ning,
getunder
sta
nding.'
Thereisbutonewayforme
.Theroadl
iest
hroughappl
ica
tion,s
tudy,and
thought
.Iwillpur
sueit.
"

AndofMil
ton,i
nst
eadofr
est
ingi
nMi l
ton'
sinc
ompar
abl
ephras
es,Keat
scoul
ds a
y,al
thou
gh
i
ndee
dallt
hewhile"l
ooki
nguponf
inephra
ses,
"ash
ehimsel
ftel
lsus
,"li
kealover"

"Mi l
tonha dane xquisitepass
ionf orwha tispr
ope rl
y,i
nthes enseofea
seandpl easur
e ,poet
ica
l
luxury;andwi ththat,itappear
stome ,hewouldf ai
nhavebe e
nc ont
ent
,ifhec oul
d,sodoi ng,
preservehisself-
respe c
tandf ee
lingofdut yperformed;buttherewasworkinginhim,a si
twe r
e,
thatsames ortofthi
ngwhi choper atesinthegr
ea tworl
dtothee ndofaprophec y'
sbeing
accompl i
shed.The r
e forehedevote dhi msel
fra
the rt
otheardorsthant
hepleasuresofsong,
solac
inghi mselfatintervalswit
hc upsofoldwine ."

5
Inhisownpoetr
y,t
oo,Kea
tsf
eltt
hatpla
cemustbefoundfort
hea
rdor
sra
the
rtha
nthepl
eas
ure
s
ofsong,
"al
thoughhewasawa
rethathewasnotye
tripefori
t

"
But
,myf
lagi
snotunf
url
'
dOnt
heAdmi
ral
-st
aff
,andt
ophi
los
ophi
zeIda
renotye
t.
"

Eveninhispursuitof"thepl eas
ur esofsong,"howe ver,thereisthatstampofhighwor kwh ic
h
isaki
nt ochara
cter,whichi scharacterpass
ingi nt
oi ntel
lectualproducti
on.Thebes tsortof
poetr
y-tha
t,"hetr
ul ysa
ys ,"isallIc a
refor,allIlivefor."Itiscurioustoobser
vehowt hissevere
addic
tionofhistothebe stsortofpoe tr
ya f
fectshimwi t
hac ert
ainc ol
dness
,asifthea ddic
tion
hadbe ent
oma thema t
ics,towa r
dst hosepri
meobj ectsofas ensuousa ndpass
ionat
epoe t
'sre
ga r
d,
loveandwome n.Hes pe aksof" theopinionIha vef ormedoft hege neral
it
yofwome n,who
appeartomea schildr
ent owhomIwoul dr at
he rgiveas uga r
-plumt hanmyt i
me .
"

Hec onfe
sses"at
endencytoclasswome ninmybook s
.wit
hrosesandsweet
me at
s-t
heynever
seethemselve
sdominant
;"andhec anunders
tandhowtheunpopul
ari
tyofhispoemsma ybein
partduetotheof
fens
ewhi chtheladi
es,
"notunnatur
all
y"t
akeathi
m"f romt hi
scause
.Evento
FannyBr awnehecanwrit
e" afl
intwordedlet
ter
,"whenhi
s"mindisheapedtotheful
l"with
poetry:

"Iknowthegener
ali
tyofwome
nwoul dha
temef ort
his;thatIshoul
dhavesouns of
tene
d,so
hardamindastoforge
tthe
m;f
orgett
hebri
ght
estrea
lit
iesforthedulli
maginat
ionsofmyown
brai
n..
.Myheartsee
msnowma deofi
ron-
Icoul
dnotwr it
eapr operanswe
rt oaninvi
tat
iont
o
Idal
ia.
"

Thet rut
hi sthat"theye arningpa ss
ionf ortheBe autiful,
"whi chwa swi t
hKe a
ts,ashehi msel
f
trulysays,thema ster-
pa ssi
on,i snotapa ssion,oft hes ens uousors entime ntalma n,isnota
pa ssi
onoft hesensuousors entimentalpoet.I tisani ntel
l ectuala
nds pir
itua lpassi
on.Itis
"conne ct
eda ndma deone ,"asKe atsdec l
arest hatinhi sc aseitwas ," wit
ht hea mbi t
ionofthe
intell
ect.
"Itis,ashea gains a
ys,"themi ghtya bst
racti deaofBe a
utyi nal
lt hings."Andi nhislas
t
da ysKe a
tswr ote:"IfIs houlddi e
,Ih avelef tnoimmor t
a lwor kbehi ndmenot hi
ngt oma kemy
friendsproudofmyme mor y;butIha velove dthepr incipleofbe autyi na llthi
ngs ,andifIhad
ha dtimeIwoul dha vema d emys elfr
e membe red."Heha sma dehims el
fre me mbe re
d,and
reme mbe r
eda snome r e
lys ensuouspoe tcoul dbe ;andheha sdonei tbyha ving" l
ove dthe
principl
eofbe autyi na l
lthings."

Fortoseethingsint
hei
rbeaut
yistoseethingsint
hei
rtr
uth,a
ndKeatskne
wi t
."Whatt
he
Imagina
tionseize
sasBeaut
ymus tbeTruth,"hesa
ysinpr
ose;andi
nimmorta
lvers
ehehass
aid
t
hes amething

"
Bea
utyi
str
uth,t
rut
hbe
aut
y,t
hati
sal
lYeknowone
art
h,a
nda
llyene
edt
oknow.
"

6
No,iti
sno tal
l;butiti
strue
,deepl
yt r
ue,andwehavede
epnee
dtoknowit.Andwit
hbea
uty
goesnotonlytrut
h,joygoeswit
hhe ral
so;andt
hist
ooKeat
ssawandsa
id,asi
nthef
amousf
irs
t
li
neofhisEndymi onitst
andswrit
ten

"
Athi
ngofbe
aut
yisaj
oyf
ore
ver
."

Itisnos ma llt hingt oha ves ol ovedthepr inc ipleofbe a utya stope rc e
ivet hene ce s
s a
ryrelation
ofbe a ut ywi tht ruth,a ndofbot hwi thjoy.Ke a tswa sagr eats pirit,a ndc ount sforfarmor et han
ma nye venofhi sa dmi rerssuppos e,beca us ethi sjus ta ndhi ghpe rceptionma deitse l
fclearto
him.The r
e f
or eadi gni t
ya ndagl oryshe dgl eamsove rhi sl ife,a ndha ppi ness,t
oo,wa snota
str
a nge rt oi t."Not hi ngs tar
tlesmebe yondt hemome nt ,
"hes ays ;" thes ettingsunwi l
lalwa ysset
met or ight s,ori fas parrowc omebe foremywi ndowIt a kepa rtini tse xistencea ndpi c
ka bout
thegr a ve l
."Butheha dte r
ribleba f
flers
,-c ons umi ngdi s ea sea nde a r
lyde ath."Ithink,"hewr it
es
toRe ynol ds ,"i fIha daf reea ndhe al
thya ndl a sti
ngo rga niza ti
onofhe art,andlungsa sst
ronga s
anox' s ,s oa st obea bl etobe arunhur tthes hoc kofe xtre met houghta nds ensat
ionwi thout
we arine s
s, Ic oul dpa ssmyl ifeve r
yn earlya lone ,thoughi ts houl dl aste ightyye ars
.ButIf e el
mybodyt oowe a kt os uppor tmet othehe ight ;Ia mobl igedc ont inua l
lyt oc heckmys el
f,andbe
nothing. "Heha da ga insthime venmo r
et ha nt his;heha da ga i
ns thi mt hebl i
ndpowe rwhi chwe
callFor tun e."Ot ha tsome t
hingf ort
un ate,"hec ri
esi nt hec losingmont hsofhi slife,"hade ver
happe ne dt omeormybr othe rs!-thenImi ghthope ,butde spa iri sfor ceduponmea saha bit."So
baffleda nds os ore lytried,whi leladen,a tt hes amet ime ,wi thami ght yf orma t
ivethought
requir inghe alth,a ndma nyda ys ,andf avor ingc ircums ta nce s,fori t
sa de qua t
ema nifestat
ion,
wha twonde ri ft hea chieveme ntofKe atsbepa rti
a la ndi nc ompl ete?

Ne ve r
the less,leta ndhi nde r
eda shewa s,andwi thas hortterma ndimpe r
f ectexpe ri
e nce,-
"young, "a shes a
ysofhi ms elf,"andwr it
inga tra ndom,s tra
iningafterpa rtic
l e
sofl ighti nthe
mi dstofagr eatda rkness ,withoutknowi ngt hebe ari
ngofa nyonea ssertion,ofa nyonea llthi
s,
byvi r
tueofhi sf eelingf orbea utyandofhi spe rc eptionoft hevitalconne ct i
onofbe aut ywi t
h
truth,Ke atsacc ompl isheds omuc hinpoe try,t ha tinoneoft hetwogr eatmode sbywhi chpoe try
interprets,int hef acultyofna tural
ist
icinterpre tation,i nwha twec allnatur alma gic,her anks
wi t
hSha kespea re."Thet ongueofKe an,"hes aysi na na dmirabl
ec ri
ticismoft hatgr eata ct
ora nd
ofhi se nc hantinge locution," t
het ongueofKe a nmus ts eemt ohaver obbe dt heHybl abe esa nd
leftthe mhone yl ess.The reisa nindesc r
ibablegus toinhi svoice;inRi char d,'Bes ti
rringwi ththe
larkt omor row,ge ntleNor folk!'come sfromhi ma sthr oughthemor ninga tmos pheret owa rds
whi chheye arns .
"Thi sma gic,this"i
n describabl egus t
oi nthevoi ce,
"Ke atshi ms elf,too,
exhi bit
si nhi spoe t
ice xpr e
ssion.Noonee l
s einEngl ishpoe tr
y,saveSha ke speare,ha sin
expr essionqui tet hef ascinati
ngf eli
cit
yofKe a ts,hi spe rf
ecti
onofl oveline ss."Ithink, "hes aid
humbl y," Isha llbea mongt heEngl ishpoe tsa ftermyde at
h."Hei s;heiswi thSha ke spe a
re.

7
Forthes econdgr eatha lfofpoe ti
ci nterpre
tation,fort ha tf
ac ultyofmor alinte
rpretati
onwh i
chis
inSha ke spea r
e ,andi sinforme dbyhi mwi tht hes amepowe rofbe a
utya shisna t
urali
stic
int
erpre t
a t
ion,Ke atswa snotripe.Fo rthea rchitectonic sofpoe try,thef acult
ywhi chpr esid
esat
theevol uti
onofwor ksl i
ketheAga me mnonorLe ar,hewa snotr ipe.HisEndymi on,ashe
himselfwe llsa w,isaf ail
ure,andhi sHype ri
on,f inet hingsa si tc ontains,isnotas uccess.Butin
short
e rthings ,whe r
et hema t
uredpowe rofmor alinterpret
a ti
on,a ndthehi gharchitectonics
whichgowi thc ompl etepoeticde velopme nt,a r
enotr e qui
red,hei sper f
ect.Thepoe mswh ich
fol
lowpr ovei t,-provei tfarbe t
terbyt he mselve sthana nyt
hingwhi chc anbes aidaboutthem
willprovei t.The ref
or eIha vec hieflyspoke nhe reoft hema n,a ndoft hee l
eme ntsinhimwhi ch
explaint hepr oduc ti
onofs uchwor k.Sha kespe ari
a nwor kitis ;noti mitative,i
nde ed,of
Shake spe a
re ,butSha kespearian,be causeitse xpressionha st ha tr ounde dpe r
fecti
ona ndf el
ici
ty
oflove li
ne ssofwhi chSha kespearei sthegre atma st
er.Tos hows uc hwor kistopr ai
sei t
.Letus
nowe ndbyde lighti
ngour sel
ve swi thaf ra
gme ntofi t,toobr oke nt ofi
ndapl acea mongt he
pieceswhi c hf ollow,butf artoobe autif
ultobel ost.Iti safra gme ntofa nodef orMa y-day.O
mightI ,hec ri
e stoMa y,0mi ghtI

"
...t
hysmilesSeekastheyonceweresought,i
nGr ec
iani
sle
s,Bybardswhodiedconte
nton
pleas
antsward,Leavi
nggreatver
seuntoalit
tlecl
an!O,givemethei
roldvigor
,andunheard
1
Saveofthequietpr
imrose
,andthes panOfhe ave
n,andfe
wye ar
s,Roundedbythee,mysong
s
houlddieaway,Conte
nta st
heir
s,Richinthes
implewors
hipofaday!"

1
Pr
epby
:Kamr
anKhan

Dat
e:24/
03/
2022