Lamia

John Keats

Nov 2024 · Prabhat Prakashan

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*Lamia* is a captivating narrative poem by John Keats that intricately weaves themes of love, transformation, and the conflict between illusion and reality. The poem tells the story of Lamia, a beautiful serpent-woman who is transformed into a woman by the power of love. Her enchanting beauty and allure draw the attention of the young philosopher Lycius, who becomes infatuated with her.

As their love blossoms, Lamia desperately seeks to hide her true nature from Lycius, fearing that the revelation of her past will drive him away. Keats’s lush and evocative language brings to life the passionate, yet precarious, nature of their romance. The poem explores the delicate balance between desire and the fear of losing one's beloved, illustrating how love can both elevate and entrap.

*Lamia* is celebrated for its rich imagery and profound emotional depth. Keats masterfully captures the essence of romantic idealism, illustrating how the pursuit of beauty and love can lead to both ecstasy and despair. The poem's haunting conclusion reveals the fragility of happiness and the inevitable return to reality, emphasizing the transient nature of love and the sacrifices that accompany it.

Readers are drawn to *Lamia* for its enchanting narrative and philosophical undertones that challenge the boundaries of human experience. This poem is a must-read for those who appreciate the complexities of love and the interplay between fantasy and reality. Owning a copy of *Lamia* is akin to possessing a piece of lyrical artistry that invites reflection on the nature of desire and the human heart, making it an essential addition to any poetry collection.

About the author

John Keats was born in London, the oldest of four children, on October 31, 1795. His father, who was a livery-stable keeper, died when Keats was eight years old, and his mother died six years later. At age 15, he was apprenticed to an apothecary-surgeon. In 1815 he began studying medicine but soon gave up that career in favor of writing poetry. The critic Douglas Bush has said that, if one poet could be recalled to life to complete his career, the almost universal choice would be Keats, who now is regarded as one of the three or four supreme masters of the English language. His early work is badly flawed in both technique and critical judgment, but, from his casually written but brilliant letters, one can trace the development of a genius who, through fierce determination in the face of great odds, fashioned himself into an incomparable artist. In his tragically brief career, cut short at age 25 by tuberculosis, Keats constantly experimented, often with dazzling success, and always with steady progress over previous efforts. The unfinished Hyperion is the only English poem after Paradise Lost that is worthy to be called an epic, and it is breathtakingly superior to his early Endymion (1818), written just a few years before. Isabella is a fine narrative poem, but The Eve of St. Agnes (1819), written soon after, is peerless. In Lamia (1819) Keats revived the couplet form, long thought to be dead, in a gorgeous, romantic story. Above all it was in his development of the ode that Keats's supreme achievement lies. In just a few months, he wrote the odes "On a Grecian Urn" (1819), "To a Nightingale" (1819), "To Melancholy" (1819), and the marvelously serene "To Autumn" (1819). Keats is the only romantic poet whose reputation has steadily grown through all changes in critical fashion. Once patronized as a poet of beautiful images but no intellectual content, Keats is now appreciated for his powerful mind, profound grasp of poetic principles, and ceaseless quest for new forms and techniques. For many readers, old and young, Keats is a heroic figure. John Keats died in Rome on February 23, 1821 and was buried in the Protestant Cemetery, Rome. His last request was to be placed under a tombstone bearing no name or date, only the words, "Here lies One whose Name was writ in Water."

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