Life of John Keats: His Life and Poetry, His Friends, Critics and After-FameColvin, Sidney
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Life of John Keats: His Life and Poetry, His Friends, Critics and After-Fame
Colvin, Sidney
Keats, John, 1795-1821; Poets, English -- 19th century -- Biography
I was delighted with the naturalness and simplicity of his character,
and was at once drawn to him by his winning and indeed affectionate
manner towards those with whom he was himself pleased. Nor was his
personal appearance the least charm of a first acquaintance with the
young poet. He bore, along with the strong impress of genius, much
beauty of feature and countenance. His hair was beautiful--a fine
brown, rather than auburn, I think, and if you placed your hand upon
his head, the silken curls felt like the rich plumage of a bird. The
eye was full and fine, and softened into tenderness, or beamed with a
fiery brightness, according to the current of his thoughts and
conversation. Indeed the form of his head was like that of a fine
Greek statue:--and he realized to my mind the youthful Apollo, more
than any head of a living man whom I have known.
At the commencement of the long vacation I was again in London, on my
way to another part of the country: and it was my intention to return
to Oxford early in the vacation for the purpose of reading. I saw much
of Keats. And I invited him to return with me to Oxford, and spend as
much time as he could afford with me in the silence and solitude of
that beautiful place during the absence of the numerous members and
students of the University. He accepted my offer, and we returned
together. I think in August 1817. It was during this visit, and in my
room, that he wrote the third book of _Endymion_.... His mode of
composition is best described by recounting our habits of study for
one day during the month he visited me at Oxford. He wrote, and I
read, sometimes at the same table, and sometimes at separate desks or
tables, from breakfast to the time of our going out for
exercise,--generally two or three o'clock. He sat down to his
task,--which was about 50 lines a day,--with his paper before him, and
wrote with as much regularity, and apparently as much ease, as he
wrote his letters.... Sometimes he fell short of his allotted task,
but not often: and he would make it up another day. But he never
forced himself. When he had finished his writing for the day, he
usually read it over to me: and he read or wrote letters until we went
for a walk. This was our habit day by day. The rough manuscript was
written off daily, and with few erasures.
I remember very distinctly, though at this distance of time, his
reading of a few passages; and I almost think I hear his voice, and
see his countenance. Most vivid is my recollection of the following
passage of the finest affecting story of the old man, Glaucus, which
he read to me immediately after its composition:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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