76John Keats

JohnKeats(1795-1821)oneofthegreatestEnglishpoetsandamajorfigureintheRomanticmovementJohnKeats当暮年将这一代消磨，在另一代的悲伤中，你仍将是人的朋友，并会对他们说：“美即是真，真即是美，——你们只晓得这么多，也只需晓得这么多。”JohnKeatsAthingofbeautyisajoyforever:Itslovelinessincreases;itwillneverPassintonothingness...Endymion.Booki.JohnKeats,oneofthegreatestEnglishpoetsandamajorfigureintheRomanticmovement,wasbornin1795inMoorfields,London.Hisfatherdiedwhenhewaseightandhismotherwhenhewasfourteen;thesesadcircumstancesdrewhimparticularlyclosetohistwobrothers,GeorgeandTom,andhissisterFanny.KeatswaswelleducatedataschoolinEnfield,wherehebeganatranslationofVirgil'sAeneid.In1810hewasapprenticedtoanapothecarysurgeon.Hisfirstattemptsatwritingpoetrydatefromabout1814,andincludean`Imitation'oftheElizabethanpoetEdmundSpenser.In1815helefthisapprenticeshipandbecameastudentatGuy'sHospital,London;oneyearlater,heabandonedtheprofessionofmedicineforpoetry.BiographicalInformationKeats'firstvolumeofpoemswaspublishedin1817.Itattractedsomegoodreviews,butthesewerefollowedbythefirstofseveralharshattacksbytheinfluentialBlackwood'sMagazine.Undeterred,hepressedonwithhispoem‘Endymion’,whichwaspublishedinthespringofthefollowingyear.KeatstouredthenorthofEnglandandScotlandinthesummerof1818,returninghometonursehisbrotherTom,whowasillwithtuberculosis.BiographicalInformationBiographicalInformationAfterTom'sdeathinDecemberhemovedintoafriend'shouseinHampstead,nowknownasKeatsHouse.Therehemetandfelldeeplyinlovewithayoungneighbour,FannyBrawne.Duringthefollowingyear,despiteillhealthandfinancialproblems,hewroteanastonishingamountofpoetry,including`TheEveofStAgnes',`LaBelleDamesansMerci',`OdetoaNightingale'and`ToAutumn'.HissecondvolumeofpoemsappearedinJuly1820;soonafterwards,bynowveryillwithtuberculosis,hesetoffwithafriendtoItaly,wherehediedthefollowingFebruary.AppreciationofOdetoaNightingaleOdetoaNightingaleexpressesthecontrastbetweenthehappyworldofnaturallovelinessandhumanworldofagony.Heretheachingecstasyrousedbythebird’ssongisfeltlikeaformofspiritualhomesickness.Thepoemfirstintroducesjoyandsorrow,songandmusic,deathandrapturewhichfreehimintotheworldofdream.Opiatesandwine,atfirstseemthewaytothisunionandtotheattainmentofarapturewhichtranscendsthehumanmisery.Eventuallyhoweverpoetryitselfisseenasthemosteffectivemeanstoreleasemisery,avehicletoreachparadise.Bycombiningatinglinganticipationwithalapsingtowardsdissolution,Keatsmanagestokeepaprecariousbalancebetweenmirthanddespair,raptureandgrief.Inspiredbythenightingale’ssong,histhoughtsnowascendfromthetransfiguredphysicalworld,throughtheimaginedecstasyofdeath,tothetimelesspresentofthenightingale’ssong.AppreciationofOdetoaNightingaleAworldofbeautyhereisvisualizedthroughthepoweroflanguage.Buttheexcitementcreatedthroughwordsisalsosubtlydestroyedbythem.Theultimateimaginativeviewoffairylandsforlornevaporatesinitsextremityasthefullassociationsofthelastword‘toll’thepoetbackfromhisnear-lossofselfhoodtotherealandhumanworldofsorrowanddeath.Inthispoem,bysingingofthenightingaleanditsplaintivesongs,describingthebeautifulandembalmednaturalworld,andexpressinghiswishtoflyawaywiththebird,Keatsmakesacontrastbetweenthehappyworldofnaturallovelinessandhumanworldofagonyinordertoshowhisresentmentagainstthesocialwrongsandhisdesireforaworldofeternalhappiness.CommentonKeatsKeatslearnedtheartofpoetry,mainlyfromthepoetsofEnglishRenaissance,suchasSpenserandShakespeare,fromMiltonandfromDante,thenationalpoetofItaly.Keatshasapassionateloveofbeautyinnature,artandpoetry.Theartisticaiminhispoetrywasalwaystocreateabeautifulworldofimaginationasopposedtothesordidrealityofhisday.Hisworkshaveonegreatmessage-thelastingpowerofbeautyanditsunionwithtruth.“Iamcertainofnothing”,hewrotetohisfriendBaileyin1817,“butoftheholinessoftheHeart’saffectionsandthetruthoftheImagination—whattheimaginationseizesasBeautymustbetruth.”Hisleadingprincipleis:“Beautyistruth,truthBeauty”.Heisavoicethroughwhichbeautyexpressesitself.Heispartofthenaturewhichhedescribes.CommentonKeatsKeats’poetryisalwayssensuous,colorfulandrichinimagery,whichexpressestheacutenessofhissenses.Heexpressesthedelightwhichcomesnotonlythroughtheeyeandtheearbutthroughthesensesoftouch,tasteandsmell.Sight,sound,scent,tasteandfeelingarealltakenintogiveanentireunderstandingofanexperience.HispoetryisdistinguishedbySensuousnessandtheperfectionofform.SoKeatshasalwaysbeenknownasasensuouspoet.Hisabilitytoappealtothesensesthroughlanguageisvirtuallyunrivaled.Hedelightstodwellonbeautifulwordsandphraseswhichsoundmusical.Withvividandrichimages,hepaintspoeticpicturesfullofwonderfulcolor.CommentonKeatsKeats’spoetry,characterizedbyexactandcloselyknitconstruction,sensualdescriptions,andbyforceofimagination,givestranscendentalvaluestothephysicalbeautyoftheworld.TheKeats-ShelleyMemorialHouseTheKeats-ShelleyHouseisthepinkbuildingontheright.ThePiazzadiSpagna,RomeOnFirstlookingintoChapman’sHomerMUCHhaveItravell’dintherealmsofgold,Andmanygoodlystatesandkingdomsseen;RoundmanywesternislandshaveIbeenWhichbardsinfealtytoApollohold.OftofonewideexpansehadIbeentoldThatdeep-brow’dHomerruledash