My Favourite Author, Poet-John Keats
Most people consider John Keats to be the greatest Romantic Poet in the history of English literature. He is my favourite poet and author for the great sweetness, delicacy, depth, variety, and depiction of nature and human emotions in his poetry.
John Keats was born on 31 October 1795. He was the son of a stable keeper. He was the oldest of the five children in the family. His father died in a riding accident in 1804. In 1810, he also lost his mother. Thus, he became an orphan at an early age.
Keat’s parents had willed an advocate to be the guardian of the children till they grew into adults. Unfortunately, the cruel crafty advocate swindled all the wealth and left the children in a poor and miserable state. Thus, Keat’s life was full of misery, and we feel overwhelmed with poignancy and affection when we realize that he died in Rome on 23 February 1821 at the early age of 26.
He became an apprentice to a surgeon in 1811. But after a few years’ study he gave up the profession of an apothecary-cum-surgeon as he was a born poet.
Keats was a voracious reader and a genius. He had proved his worth before his death, and as a critic has said, “He is with Shakespeare.” Some opine that had he lived longer, he might probably have equaled, if not surpassed Shakespeare.
Greatest ode writer
Keats wrote Odes, sonnets, epics, and other poems. Though most of his poetry is of a high rate, he is most famous for his odes. He is, indeed, considered the greatest ode writer in English literature.
His famous odes are:
- Ode To A Nightingale
- Ode To a Grecian Urn
- Ode To Autumn
- Ode On Indolence
On Melancholy Some of his other Odes of lesser importance are :
- Ode To Fancy
- Ode To Poets
- Hymn To Apollo
- To Pan etc.
Some of his other famous poems are:
- The Eve of St Agnes
- Hyperion (Two Versions)
- La Belle Dame Sans Merci
- The Eve of St Mark
Among his most famous sonnets we have:
- On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer
- When I Have Fears That I May Cease To Be.
His last work was a sonnet:
“Bright Star, would I were steadfast as thou art.”
He chose his own epitaph:
“Here lies one whose name was writ in water.”
Criticism and Endymion
Though Keats could not become a popular poet in his own life, as he was then only known as a “Cockney” poet, yet it would be unfair to say as Byron said that he was “snuffed out by an article.” Byron was referring to the savage attack on Keats’ poetry, particularly on his “Endymion.” Here are a few lines from his works.
- “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” – Endymion BKI
- “Do not all charms fly At the mere touch of cold philosophy?” – Lania
- “… For ’tis the eternal law That first in beauty shall be first in might.” – Hyperion (Ist version)
- “Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard Are Sweeter….” – Ode On A Grecian Urn
- “Beauty is truth, truth beauty” – that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.” – Ode On A Grecian Urn
- “(Here) where but to think is to be full of sorrow.” – Ode To A Nightingale.”
- “Charm’d magic casements, opening on the foam Of perilous seas, in farcy lands forlorn.”. – Ode To A Nightingale.
An immortal poet/ author
Towards the end of his career, Keats intended to direct his poetry towards-
“…… a nobler life
Where I may find the agonies, the strife of human hearts.” – Hyperion (Bk I)
Undoubtedly Keats is an immortal poet and author.