Poet 2/52 - John Keats

John Keats, born in 1795, is one of the great English Romantic poets along with his contemporaries Shelley and Lord Byron. He was underrated during his life, but gained widespread recognition after his death in Rome from tuberculosis in 1821 at the tender age of 26. He is now considered to be one of the masters.

"La Belle Dame Sans Merci" , which is loosely translated as “The Beautiful Woman Without Pity” or “The Beautiful Woman Without Mercy” is perhaps Keats’ most famous poem. It is clever but elegant and is even more appealing now as a grown woman than as a teenager, probably because it is both a love song and a warning away from love.

It is a story poem, of sorts. Stanzas 1-3 ask a question; stanzas 4-12 answer it. The question: What’s wrong with you? The simplest answer: Love.

The poem has a clever rhythm to it. The 4th line in each stanza is simply done, particularly when compared to the first 3 lines in the stanza:

“O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has wither’d from the lake,
And no birds sing.”

The 4th line is nearly stark. The pattern, which is carried through the poem, gives a suggestion of stopping in one’s tracks. It feels vaguely sinister. In the 6-8th stanzas, even during the retelling of the romantic interlude, the words describe the traditional romance, and is nearly sweet. The rhythm however indicates otherwise. This is purposefully done, and contributes to the impression that this romance is not a healthy thing.

In the 10th stanza, this is further reinforced:

“I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried—“La Belle Dame sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!”

This stanza is particularly clever because while advancing the story of the poem, it can also be read to show the universal nature of love. Everyone- kings, princes and warriors- has been knocked down by love. It is part of the human condition. As the poem concludes, he has escaped the beautiful, pitiless woman (love), but still seeks her, in spite of the damage she has done to him.

This is one reason poetry is so wonderful. It tells stories and underneath the story is a truth about the human condition.

In my next adventure with Keats, more love with “Bright Star”.