John Keats.

JohnKeats(1795—1821)JohnKeats1795-1821Englishromanticpoet.HeisconsideredoneofthegreatestEnglishpoets.Keats’sLifeCamefromapoorbackground,sonofaliver-stablekeeper,losthisparentsearlyinlife,andwasapprenticedat15toadoctor.Hadnoformaleducationorliterarytraining.Madeupfordeficiencywithvoraciousreading.ReadwellinGreekandElizabethanliterature,andhadHomer,Spenser,ShakespeareandMiltonamonghisliterarypassions.Misfortunesbefellhimruthlessly.Hisbrotherdied,andhecontractedtheterminaldisease---tuberculosis.Helovedayounggirl,FannyBrowne,buthadtocutofftieswithherbecauseofhisillnessandexperiencedtheworseemotionaltormentforahumanbeing.LaterinlifehewenttoItalytoimprovehishealth.Hewasslightlyover25yearsoldwhenhedied.HetoldhisfriendJosephSevernthathewantedonhisgravejusttheline.HisPositioninEnglishLiteratureKnownasasensuouspoet.(给人以美的享受的诗人）Avoicethroughwhichbeautyexpressesitself.Heis,likeShakespeare,MiltonandWordsworth,oneoftheindisputablegreatEnglishpoets.AndhismightypoemswillnodoubthavealastingplaceinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.MajorworksLongpoems:Endymion《恩底弥翁》Isabella《伊莎贝拉》TheEveofSt.Agnes《圣爱格尼斯之夜》Lamia《莱米亚》Hyperion《赫披里昂》Shortlyrics:fourodes,hismostimportantOdeonaGrecianUrn《希腊古瓮颂》OdeonMelancholy《哀感》OdetoaNightingale《夜莺颂》ToAutumn《秋颂》)EndymionEndymionwasapoembasedontheGreekmythofEndymion&themoongoddess.Inthispoem,Keatsdescribedhisimaginationinanenchantedatmosphere-alovelymoon-litworldwherehumanlove&idealbeautyweremergedintoone.EndymionmarkedatransitionalphaseinKeats'spoetry,thoughhehimselfwasnotsatisfiedwithit.HyperionTheunfinishedlongepicincludestwofragments,HyperionandTheFallofHyperion,modelingonMilton’sParadiseLostandDante’sPurgatorioinTheDivineComedyseparately.Itsthemeistheconflictbetweentheoldandthenew,andthestoryisderivedfromGreekmythology.Thepoemdescribesthestruggleforpowerinheaven,thedisplacementoftheoldTitansheadedbySaturnbythenewgenerationofgods,theOlympiansheadedbyZeus.OdesThemodernformoftheodedatesfromtheRenaissance;liketheLatinodeitispurepoetry,notintendedformusicalaccompaniment.TheearliestEnglishodesincludetheEpithalamionandtheProthalamion,ormarriagehymns,bythe16th-centurypoetEdmundSpenser.Englishwritersofodesinthe17thcenturyincludedBenJonsonandAndrewMarvell,whowroteintheHoratianmode,andJohnMilton,whoseode“OntheMorningofChrist’sNativity”OdeonaGrecianUrnThispoemwasfirstpublishedinJanuary1820.ItisthoughtnottobebasedonanyspecificGreekvase.ThisodeisfrequentlytreatedasKeats’centralpoem,asakeytothemajorthemes,itsrichnessofimagery,itssuperbcraftsmanship,itisquitecapableoffillingsucharole.Literallyhundredsofinterpretationshavebeenofferedofit,nooneofwhich,asWalterBatehassaid,”satisfiesanyoneexcepttheinterpreter,”for“toomanydifferentelementsconverge”inthesestanzastomakeforaneasyconsensus.Itshowsthecontrastbetweenthepermanenceofart&thetransienceofhumanpassion.ThepoethasabsorbedhimselfintothetimelessbeautifulsceneryontheantiqueGrecianUrn:thelovers,musicians&worshippersontheUrnexistsimultaneously&foreverintheirintensityofjoy.Theyareunaffectedbytime,stilledinexpectation.Thisisatoncetheglory&thelimitationoftheworldconjuredupbyanobjectofart.Theurncelebratesbutsimplifiesintuitionsofecstasybyseemingtodenyourpainfulknowledgeoftransience&suffering.Onthesurface,thisodeisabouttheGrecianUrn,butwecanfairlysayitisacommentaryonnature&art,forarthasthepowertopreserveintensehumanexperiences,sothattheymaygoonbeingenjoyedbymenfromgenerationtogeneration.Pleasureinlifecannotbeprotectedfromchange,whileartifactcanremainintact.TheOdeconsistsof5stanzas,thefirstfourstanzasdescribingapastoralsceneontheurn,&thelastepitomizingtherelationofthetimelessidealworldinarttothewoefulactualworld.TheFormEachstanzais10lineslong,meteredinarelativepreciseiambicpentameter,anddividedintotwopartrhymescheme,thelast3linesofwhicharevariable.Thefirst7linesofeachstanzafollowanABABCDErhymescheme,butthesecondoccurrencesoftheCDEsounddonotfollowthesameorder.Instanza1,lines7through10arerhymedDCE;instanza2,CED;instanzas3and4,CDE;andinstanza5,DCE,justasinstanza1.Thetwo-partrhymeschemecreatesthesenseofatwo-partthematicstructureaswell.Thefirst4linesofeachstanzaroughlydefinethesubjectofthestanza,andthelast6roughlyexplicateordevelopit.OdetoaNightingaleThispoemwasinspiredbythesingingofanightingalethathadbuiltitsnestclosetothehousethepoetlivedin.Here,Keatsnotonlyexpresseshisrapturesuponhearingthebeautifulsongsofthenightingaleandhisdesiretogototheetherealworldofbeautytogetherwiththebird,butalsoshowshisdeepsympathyforandhiskeenunderstandingofhumanmiseriesinthesocietyinwhichhelived.OdetoaNightingaleIn“OdetoaNightingale,”thenightingale’ssongsymbolizesthebeautyofnatureandart.Keatswasfascinatedbythedifferencebetweenlifeandart:Humanbeingsdie,butthearttheymakeliveson.Thespeakerinthepoemtriesrepeatedlytousehisimaginationtogowiththebird’ssong,buteachtimehefailstocompletelyforgethimself.Inthesixthstanzahesuddenlyrememberswhatdeathmeans,andthethoughtofitfrightenshimbacktoearthandhisownhumanity.AnalysisofOdetoaNightingaleRhymeScheme:ababcdecdeMeter:iambi