When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,
Before high piled books, in charactry,
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.
Notes
'This sonnet, if which there is a fair manuscript dated 1817 in Sir Charles Dilke's copy of Endymion, was printed among the Literary Remains in the second volume of the Life, Letters &c. (1848). The text as given above accords entirely with the manuscript.'
~ Poetical Works of John Keats, ed. H. Buxton Forman, Crowell publ. 1895.
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a classic writer
Keats pieces are amazing. I study him in Brit Lit class.
His works open the mind to thought with his use of stunning visuals and other poetic devices -
Keats is mind blowing,I have always loved his poems.
Can any one really comment.I definetely cannot even think of doing so. -
This could be taken either possitively or negatively ... i wonder which frame of mind it was intended to be in. Such a thoughtfull reflection on life
love it -
When all of these fears of my life descend upon me...when I doubt that I shall complete the tasks I set for myself...I pause and wait for all to pass into unimportance...this is how I read these words...I of course have not added the poetic language or images, only the facts, as I feel them to be. I do admire the ability of Keats to make the ordinary 'fears' of life shine like small gems. Well written poetry of doubts we all feel in one way or another...Today we would say, in a childlike way perhaps: "What if I don't...."...Peace, Rhonda
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I'm Interested in it
From guest Emad (contact)
John Keats THE Terror Of Death Introduction Keats was born in 1795. Keats was one of the most important figures of early nineteenth-century Romanticism. Many of the ideas and themes that can bee seen in Keats's great works are essentially Romantic concerns: the beauty of nature, the relation between imagination and creativity, and the response of the passions to beauty and suffering. Theme The theme of this poem revolves around the port’s fear of death that might put a sudden end to his enjoyment of books and life generally. Tone The spread tone of the poem is the tone of fear. Form The poem is a sonnet written in three heroic quatrains and a final riming couplet. It is modeled on the Shakespearian pattern. Its rime scheme is abab,cdcd,efef,gg. It is in the iambic pentameter. Plot The poet tells us bout his fear of meeting death that may stop or part him away from his books. He says that this fear always comes to him and he always feels that he is close to death. He is not worry about the people around him or even cares bout the joys of life but he only worries about not being able to achieve his writings and ideas before he dies. That is what makes him worry the most. He worries that death may come to him before he makers a huge harvest of philosophical books and ideas. The poet tells us that this fear, makes him pessimistic all the time. When he sees the clouds in the sky, he thinks that death is close to him and his worry and fear begin to increase. Though, he says, that these clouds are symbols of romanticism, they frighten him so much. The poet also tells us his fear of losing his beloved if death approaches him. He says that he feels that he will never be able to see her beautiful face. He finally says that he will lose both love and fame, because both will disappear in the air by the pass of time. Critical Appreciation The Romantic Period was actually a movement from one way of thinking to another. The main beliefs of Romanticism included a shift from faith in reason to faith in the senses, feelings, and imagination; from interest in urban society and its sophistication to an interest in the rural and natural; from public, and impersonal poetry to subjective poetry. The most important beliefs of Romanticism, however, were belief in the importance of the individual, imagination, and intuition.البديهة John Keats is recognized as being the youngest romantic writer of all time. Most of his poetry was a response to sensuous impressions. He was concerned with what was going on at the present moment and felt as if there was no time to ponder the future. It has been stated that his work had a more profound influence than that of any other romantic poet. THE Terror Of Death is one of the greatest sonnets of Keats. Like all sonnets the idea is introduced in the octave and is concluded in the sestet. KEATS fears that he may die without giving expression to all those thoughts which crowded his mind. His poetic imagination suggests a thousand romantic ideas but he has apprehensions that the cold hands of death may take him away before he has time to interpret them. The first four lines of the poem are a continued metaphor taken from harvesting. The poets pen is compared to the harvester. He wants to write them in his own handwriting. The heaps of books would be a granary in which is gathered the full ripened grain. The poem is beautiful in its meaning and appealing. It is strange that throughout his life Keats was haunted by the fear of death. He never doubted his poetic faculties but he was afraid that probably he would die too soon to accomplish all that he said his heart upon. Figure of Speech The poet uses a lot of figures here; 1- The use of audible imagery in all of the poem as to attract our attention to the poet’s speech. 2- The use of visual image in some of the line as in;“When I behold the night’s Starr’d face,” and “ huge cloudy symbol”. 3- The use of euphemism in the word “cease” instead of the word death 4- The use of the simile at the end of the first quatrain as to compare books to rich grain stores. 5- The use of personification in the word ;night’s starr’d face” he likens the night to a person who has a starred face. 6- The use of the enjambments throughout the poem as to make a sense of a rich subtle rhythm. -
need help
From guest k (contact)
How do you put "Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink" into normal words? In what way are books like granaries?\ What 3 things does the speaker fear he may never live to see? -
Death, the "final frontier", is a powerful matter to contemplate. I found myself thinking about this poem recently...found it in an anthology of British Literature...and, for some reason, just couldn't let go of Keat's thoughts. Does one really make peace with death? It is a cycle of life that we are born to die, and yet, and yet...."When I have fears" is such a powerful opening. Fear causes him to wonder, and he takes the time to write what some things are that he may never finish. I often wonder how some people come to fame; why some become iconic and others are never brought to the public's attention. Keats enjoyed a level of fame while he was alive, and even with his "fears", in the time alloted to him on earth, he managed to pen words that we still enjoy today. There are lines that stand independently in their scope and beauty, and others that create moments of introspection. I think of "For Whom the Bell Tolls", for instance, when I read, "And think that I may never live to trace/Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance" and also the closing lines. Reflection. Meditation. I'm glad Keats continued to write. I'm glad that he didn't feel it was futile to write words that may or may not have been read by the public.
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When I have fears that I may cease to be
It seems that Keats fears were well founded;dying only four years after this was quilled. It would be interesting to know the cause of his death at such a young age. Plague,the irate spouse of a significant other or military misadventure.When I have fears that I may cease to be, I thank God for the time He`s given me. -
A Masterpiece
This is not a poem...it’s a Melody of words N Wonderful thoughts...Listen
"Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till love and fame to nothingness do sink. "
But I don’t Know whether it is complete or not...I mean the thought not the sonnet...Altogether this simple yet deep sonnet...the melody of words N thoughts is about the apprehension of death and letting go everything incomplete...though nothing ever completes or finish during this temporary life time...yet something has to be and that is Love.... an Endless Cord...hence where ever it breaks it turns in to an independent complete as well as infinitely divine entity...like a thought or a dream which is completed when ever it ends. this is a masterpiece
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In this sonnet Keats tells of his thoughts when he realised his death would occur before he could complete his writings. He died at age 26. I strongly suggest you read the poem aloud, but also experiment with only reading parts here and there until you know and feel its sense and mood.
Divide the poem into sections of four lines each. They begin with 'When', 'When', 'And when' respectively. The last section ends in the middle of the fourth line. The final section is two lines and a bit. Each section expresses a particular sentiment.
In the first section Keats uses the word 'fears' but this is not of death or pain or terror but of regret. It is as if I said, "I fear I cannot meet you because I need to go to the dentist." Get the idea? It is the dentist I fear. I regret not meeting you!
Read lines 1 and 2. He regrets no time to write down his thoughts. Read lines 1, 3 and 4. He regrets no time to write lots of books full of great ideas. In the second section he contemplates images, dreams and the subject matter he will not now be able to translate into poems. In the third section he says he will never more see his beloved Fanny Brawne.
These first three sections deal with things that he will no longer be able to do. In the final section he tells what he will be able to do. He sees himself able to clearly contemplate the universe and able to do so until he finally fades away and dies. By reading line 1 and then jumping forward to read this last section you will encompass what he can do. -
This is one of the greatest sonnets of keats.Like all sonnets the idea is introduced in the octave and is concluded in the sested.KEATS fears that he may die without giving expression to all those thoughts whch crowded his mind.His poetic imagination suggests a thousand romantic ideas but he has apprehensions that the cold hands of death may take him away before he has time to interpret them.
The first four lines of the poem are a continued metaphor taken from harvesting.The poets pen is compared to the harvester.He wants to write them in his own handwriting.The heaps of books would be a granary in which is gathered the full ripened grain.The poem is beautifull in its meaning and appealing.
It is strange that througout his life keats was haunted by the fear of death.He never doubted his poetic faculities but he was afraid that probably he would die too soon to acomplish all that he said his heart upon. -
Ouch. This poem just knocked me flat. I think this is the first time I've enjoyed pain this much... I wonder if it'll do the same thing if I read it again. Brb.......
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This poem i was introduced to in English class. Although my favorite poets are free verse, the Romantic style is soon growing as a prominant form in my mind. This sonnet beautifully illustrates the beauty that Keats can bring to any subject, including that of his fear of death. The last line is brilliant, showing that nothing matters when you die. I think this is on of the best poems of the Romantic period.
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One of the greatest poems ever written.
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