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 am glad I had not an opportunity of sending off a Letter which I
wrote for you on Tuesday night--'twas too much like one out of
Rousseau's _Heloise_. I am more reasonable this morning. The morning
is the only proper time for me to write to a beautiful Girl whom I
love so much: for at night, when the lonely day has closed, and the
lonely, silent, unmusical Chamber is waiting to receive me as into a
Sepulchre, then believe me my passion gets entirely the sway, then I
would not have you see those Rhapsodies which I once thought it
impossible I should ever give way to, and which I have often laughed
at in another, for fear you should think me either too unhappy or
perhaps a little mad. I am now at a very pleasant Cottage window,
looking onto a beautiful hilly country, with a glimpse of the sea; the
morning is very fine. I do not know how elastic my spirit might be,
what pleasure I might have in living here and breathing and wandering
as free as a stag about this beautiful Coast if the remembrance of you
did not weigh so upon me. I have never known any unalloy'd Happiness
for many days together: the death or sickness of some one has always
spoilt my hours--and now when none such troubles oppress me, it is you
must confess very hard that another sort of pain should haunt me. Ask
yourself my love whether you are not very cruel to have so
entrammelled me, so destroyed my freedom.
A fortnight later he manages to write a little more at ease of himself,
his moods, and his doings:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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