John Keats, A Romantic Poet

As one of the great poets of the Romantic Era, John Keats was one of the last. His poetry portrays great sensual beauty with his own unique passion for the slightest detail.

John Keats was one of the first "middle class" poets of the then emerging middle class to gain the public attention. Writing his early poetry at the ripe old age of twenty, Keats was not considered to be a "top-notch" poet. Keats, who was considered uneducated, spent much of his time studying Shakespeare and Milton. His admiration of these two masters is reflected in Keats' poetry.

Tragically, John Keats' poetry came to a screeching halt at the age of twenty-six. The deadly disease that ruined his family, also took Keats' life. Tuberculosis struck hard one cold March night when John Keats forgot his coat. The terrible hemmorhages began and the disease took his life.

Unfortunately, John Keats is linked more to his untimely death than to the achievement of his work. Despite the fame he received from his sudden death, John Keats is most recognized for his remarkable odes pertaining to death.

OLD MEG she was a gipsy,

And lived upon the moors;

Her bed it was the brown heath turf,

And her house was out of doors.

Her apples were swart blackberries,

Her currants, pods o' broom;

Her wine was dew of the wild white rose,

Her book a church-yard tomb.

Her brothers were the craggy hills,

Her sisters larchen trees;

Alone with her great family

She lived as she did please.

No breakfast had she many a morn,

No dinner many a noon,

And, 'stead of supper, she would stare

Full hard against the moon.

But every morn, of woodbine fresh

She made her garlanding,

And, every night, the dark glen yew

She wove, and she would sing.

And with her fingers, old and brown,

She plaited mats of rushes,

And gave them to the cottagers

She met among the bushes.

Old Meg was brave as Margaret Queen,

And tall as Amazon;

An old red blanket cloak she wore,

A chip hat had she on:

God rest her aged bones somewhere!

She died full long agone!

Informative Links
  All About John Keats
  The Poetical Works of John Keats
  A Comprehensive Study of His Life and Work

Have Questions or Comments?

E-mail me!	E-mail the Project Director, Dr. Jeff Powers-Beck
The Digital Muse Project Center	The ETSU English Department Homepage

Link to Publication Information and Bibliography

Click on the Life-mask of Keats!