Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

new countries with "Oh, for a muse of fire to ascend!" If "Endymion" serves me as a pioneer, perhaps I ought to be content, for, thank God, I can read, and perhaps understand, Shakespeare to his depths; and I have, I am sure, many friends, who, if I fail, will attribute any change in my life and temper to humbleness rather than pride to a cowering under the wings of great poets, rather than to a bitterness that I am not appreciated.1 I am anxious to get "Endymion" printed that I may forget it, and proceed. I have copied the Third Book, and begun the Fourth. I will take care the printer shall not trip up my heels.

Remember me to Percy Street.

Your sincere and obliged friend

John Keats

P.S.-I shall have a short preface in good time.

1 "Mr. Bailey has informed me", says Lord Houghton, "that one of Keats's favourite topics of conversation was the principle of melody in verse, which he believed to consist in the adroit management of open and close vowels. He had a theory that vowels could be as skilfully combined and interchanged as differing notes of music, and that all sense of monotony was to be avoided, except when expressive of a special purpose. Uniformity of metre is so much the rule of English poetry, that, undoubtedly, the carefully varied harmonies of Keats's verse were disagreeable, even to cultivated readers, often producing exactly the contrary impression from what was intended, and, combined as they were with rare and curious rhymes, diverted the attention from the beauty of the thoughts and the force of the imagery. In 'Endymion,' indeed, there was much which not only seemed, but was, experimental; and it is impossible not to observe the superior mastery of melody, and sure-footedness of the poetic paces, in 'Hyperion.""

XXXV.

To MESSRS. TAYLOR AND HESSEY.

My dear Sirs,

I am this morning making a general clearance of all lent Books-all-I am afraid I do not return all-I must fog your memories about them-however with many thanks here are the remainder-which I am afraid are not worth so much now as they were six months ago -I mean the fashions may have changed

Yours truly

John Keats

Although undated, this letter may perhaps be safely assigned to the end of February or beginning of March 1818, just before Keats's departure for Teignmouth. In the Life, Letters &c., Lord Houghton mentions that Keats visited his brothers three times at that place in the early part of 1818; and I regret that the documents which I have been enabled to consult do not place me in a position to trace the dates of his flittings backwards and forwards between Hampstead and Teignmouth.

XXXVI.

To JOHN HAMILTON REYNOLDS.

Teignmouth,

Dear Reynolds,

14 March [1818].

I escaped being blown over, and blown under, and trees and house being toppled on me. I have, since hearing of Brown's accident, had an aversion to a dose of parapet, and being also a lover of antiquities, I would sooner have a harmless piece of Herculaneum sent me quietly as a present than ever so modern a chimney-pot tumbled on to my head. Being agog to see some Devonshire, I would have taken a walk the first day, but the rain would not let me ; and the second, but the rain would not let me; and the third, but the rain forbade it. Ditto fourth, ditto fifth, ditto-so I made up my mind to stop in-doors, and catch a sight flying between the showers and, behold, I saw a pretty valley, pretty cliffs, pretty brooks, pretty meadows, pretty trees, both standing as they were created, and blown down as they were uncreated. The green is beautiful, as they say, and pity it is that it is amphibious-mais! but alas! the flowers here wait as naturally for the rain twice a day as the muscles do for the tide; so we look upon a brook in

1 Mr. Dilke says This alludes to an accident which befell Brown many years before and which must have been about that time first mentioned to Keats and Reynolds. A parapet stone fell and struck Brown on the calf of the leg-a narrower escape a man could not well have. Apparently no great harm done-but it got worse and worse and it was doubtful at last whether he would not have lost the limb. This was years before he knew either Keats or Reynolds."

these parts as you look upon a splash in your country. There must be something to support this-aye, fog, hail, snow, rain, mist blanketing up three parts of the year. This Devonshire is like Lydia Languish, very entertaining when it smiles, but cursedly subject to sympathetic moisture. You have the sensation of walking under one great Lamp-lighter: and you can't go on the other side of the ladder to keep your frock clean. Buy a girdle, put a pebble in your mouth, loosen your braces—for I am going among scenery whence I intend to tip you the Damosel Radcliffe. I'll cavern you, and grotto you, and water-fall you, and wood you, and water you, and immense-rock you, and tremendous-sound you, and solitude you. I'll make a lodgment on your glacis by a row of pines, and storm your covered way with bramblebushes. I'll have at you with hip-and-haw small-shot, and cannonade you with shingles. I'll be witty upon salt-fish, and impede your cavalry with clotted-cream. But ah, Coward! to talk at this rate to a sick man, or, I hope, to one that was sick-for I hope by this you stand on your right foot. If you are not-that's all

2

I intend to cut all sick people if they do not make up their minds to cut Sickness—a fellow to whom I have a complete aversion, and who, strange to say, is harboured and countenanced in several houses where I visit: he is sitting now, quite impudent, between me and Tom; he

1 Why Mrs. Radcliffe should be thus shorn of her matronly dignity one cannot guess: in another place Keats scarcely magnifies the dignity of maternity by alluding to her as "Mother Radcliffe." The stock in trade of The Romance of the Forest looks curious beside the ensuing reminiscence of Uncle Toby and Corporal Trim.

2 Teignmouth used to have a considerable trade in salt cod from Newfoundland.

insults me at poor Jem Rice's; and you have seated him, before now, between us at the Theatre, when I thought he looked with a longing eye at poor Kean. I shall say, once for all, to my friends, generally and severally, cut that fellow, or I cut you.

I went to the Theatre here the other night, which I forgot to tell George, and got insulted, which I ought to remember to forget to tell anybody; for I did not fight, and as yet have had no redress-" Lie thou there, sweetheart!" I wrote to Bailey yesterday, obliged to speak in a high way, and a damme who's afraid? for I had owed him so long: however, he shall see I will be better in future. Is he in town yet? I have directed to Oxford as the better chance.

I have copied my Fourth Book, and shall write the Preface soon. I wish it was all done; for I want to forget it, and make my mind free for something new. Atkins the coachman, Bartlet[t] the surgeon, Simmons1 the barber, and the girls over at the bonnet-shop, say we shall now have a month of seasonable weather-warm, witty, and full of invention.

Write to me and tell me that you are well, or thereabouts; or, by the holy Beaucœur, which I suppose is the Virgin Mary, or the repented Magdalen (beautiful name, that Magdalen), I'll take to my wings and fly away to anywhere, but old or Nova Scotia.'

I wish I had a little innocent bit of metaphysic in my head, to criss-cross the letter: but you know a favourite tune is hardest to be remembered when one wants it most; and you, I know, have, long ere this, taken it for

1 Probably these are all the names of real inhabitants. Mr. Bartlett, at all events, I well remember as the senior medical practitioner of the place in 1850 and onwards.

« AnteriorContinuar »