JOHN KEATS – 3
The day’s selection of quotes from Keats, appear a little intricate. However a careful scrutiny unfolds fine nuances of the poetic mind.
“I
am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart’s affection and the truth
of the imagination”
The quote above is an emphatic assertion by Keats as to the
two human reactions like affection and imagination. Of these the poet connects
affection to the heart and that it is a holy trait and that imagination though
a perception is just an expression of truth. Both affection and imagination are
honest and pure and the poet states that he is not certain of
anything else. Purity of mind’s products is absolute is the message. This
explanation is my way of understanding the poet, pardon me if I am wrong.
“Fine
writing, doing next to nothing is the best thing in the world”.
The above is another
item of factual utterance. The quote is nearly clear and open if one chooses to
re-arrange the clauses there in as “The best thing
in the world to doing nothing is fine writing”. Seemingly the statement refers
to fine-writing as next to doing nothing. Doing nothing is ‘staying effortless’
; so in Keats’ opinion, Fine writing is an effortless job –no wonder a poet’s
mind is great.
“I
equally dislike the favor of the public with the love of a woman –they are both
a cloying treacle to the wings of independence”
In this quote ‘cloying
treacle’ is a reference to too much of something like sweet. The poet uses the
analogy to the act of abundant public favor much like the annoying expression
of love by woman. The idea is whenever impressed by something both woman’s love
and public favor expand too far.
“A
poet is the most unpoetical of anything in existence, because he has no
identity –he is continually infirming and filling some other body”
This quote from Keats
suggests that poets do not sustain one common identity largely because, they
get into another body often. This means that poets become ‘one with something’,
that they describe in the poem; so, their identity keeps changing.
“The
two divinest things the world has got-A lovely woman and a rural spot”.
Keats sounds romantic
–as he describes a lovely woman and a rural spot
as being the ‘divinest’
of creations. A clear study of the two needs total devotion free of
interference.
To
Continue ……..
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