Never Underestimate the Power of Words.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011


Ode on Melancholy

John Keats

No, no! go not to Lethe, neither twist
Wolf's-bane, tight-rooted, for its poisonous wine;
Nor suffer thy pale forehead to be kiss'd
By nightshade, ruby grape of Proserpine;
Make not your rosary of yew-berries,
Nor let the beetle, nor the death-moth be
Your mournful Psyche, nor the downy owl
A partner in your sorrow's mysteries;
For shade to shade will come too drowsily,
And drown the wakeful anguish of the soul.

But when the melancholy fit shall fall
Sudden from heaven like a weeping cloud,
That fosters the droop-headed flowers all,
And hides the green hill in an April shroud;
Then glut thy sorrow on a morning rose.
Or on the rainbow of the salt sand-wave,
Or on the wealth of globèd peonies;
Or if thy mistress some rich anger shows,
Emprison her soft hand, and let her rave.
And feed deep, deep upon her peerless eyes.

She dwells with Beauty—Beauty that must die;
And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips
Bidding adieu; and aching Pleasure nigh,
Turning to poison while the bee-mouth sips:
Ay, in the very temple of Delight
Veil'd Melancholy has her sovran shrine,
Though seen of none save him whose strenuous tongue
Can burst Joy's grape against his palate fine;
His soul shall taste the sadness of her might,
And be among her cloudy trophies hung. **Keats shows us here how we cannot experience and enjoy the pleasure of joy without feeling the hardship and suffering of despair and gloom. I love that idea! Think about it. <333

1 comment:

  1. I must admit I didn't know much about Keats' work until you started posting it and I love this poem. I love his play with words and imagery. My favorite part in this poem is the second stanza where the tone becomes uplifting. I agree with you that his idea of experiencing the hardships as well as the joys of life is great. Though the hardships may not be the most pleasant part of life they often give us a better appreciation for what is joyful. Thanks for sharing his work! I'm definitely going to start looking into him more now.

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