Friday, February 17, 2006

When I have Fears that I may Cease to Be


When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,
Before high-piled books, in charactery,
Hold like rich garners the full ripen'd grain;
.
When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;
.
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love;--then on the shore
.
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.
.
-- John Keats (1795-1821) --

11 comments:

Vee said...

Wonderful poem by Keats. What made you post it?

DA said...

I think so too Vee. I saw the Swan Dying at the Kirov ballet the other day and that inspired me to post this ..

JBlue said...

I love the imagery in this poem. It stirs the imagination.

LesleyinNM said...

Love the artwork and the poem! Very nice!

Zee said...

... and when the hunting season starts
the hunter came, put arrows through their hearts.

Tina said...

Keats is a wonderful choice Dimitri.
I think I have read "The Eve of St Agnes" 30 or so times. I love the slow sensual way Keats brings the 2 ethereal lovers-- Porphyro and Madeline-- together and they way he describes colors. It is as if one could actually see them shimmering and softly glowing. Keats was a genius:
"Full on this casement shone the wintry moon,
And threw warm gules on Madeline’s fair breast,
As down she knelt for heaven’s grace and boon;
Rose-bloom fell on her hands, together prest,
And on her silver cross soft amethyst,
And on her hair a glory, like a saint:
She seem’d a splendid angel, newly drest,
Save wings, for heaven:—Porphyro grew faint:
She knelt, so pure a thing, so free from mortal taint."

P.S. Thank you for your kind well wishes for my lil one Dimitri. I truly do appreciate all good energy sent her way.

Granny said...

Lovely.

DA said...

Thx Julian, it stirs emotions as well I think.

Artwork visualises the Dying Swan from the Tsjaikovski Ballet Swan Lake Lesley. Thx

I like that Zee..

Now I have too look that up too Tina. Sounds wonderful. Thx for sharing

I agree Granny..

Kathleen Callon said...

Started "Irish Fairy & Folk Tales" by William Butler Yeats yesterday, so this poem is a treat.

"Everyone is a visionary if you scratch him deep enough. But the Celt is a visionary without scratching."-WB Yeats

I'm a European mutt in that my ancestors come from over a dozen countries over there, but one of my ancestors is supposed to be Beli Mawr. At times I feel I know it's true.

Hope you have a great weekend.

DA said...

Thx PT and Kat..Who's Beli Mawr?

Kathleen Callon said...

Beli Mawr was the Celtic Sun God and a king in early Britain.