“Load Every Rift With Ore”

“To Percy Bysshe Shelley” was a letter written by John Keats on August 16, 1820. This letter was in response to Shelley’s invitation for Keats to spend the winter at his home in Pisa, Italy after finding out Keats was ill with tuberculosis. In the letter, Keats expresses joy from having heard from Shelley and receiving the invitation to Shelley’s home. Keats replies that the only way he would not make it to Pisa is if he died, saying, “There is no doubt that an english winter would put an end to me, and do so in a lingering hateful manner, therefore I must either voyage or journey to Italy as a soldier marches up to a battery.” (Keats 979). These words show that Keats knows he will die if he stays at his home and must do whatever it takes to get to Italy, much like a soldier marches to a fortified area with cannons. Keats displays frustration with his illness when he mentions, “I shall not be destined to remain in one spot long enough to take a hatred of any four particular bedposts.” He seems angry that being ill has kept him from getting up and enjoying life for so long, and declares his strong desire to visit Shelley. In fact, Keats never does make it to Pisa, and not even a year later, he died on February 23, 1821. Also found in the letter, Keats offers literary advice to Shelley after receiving advice from Shelley on some of his work. He says, “There is only one part of it I am to judge of; the Poetry, and dramatic effect, which by many spirits now a days is considered the mammon.” (Keats 979). Keats is telling Shelley that most people think poetry and dramatic effect are to most people during this time like mammom (what is considered in the bible as materialistic). Poetry should have a higher purpose and not written in materialistic ways.Although most do not agree with these writers, they value the beauty and art of poetry because it connects them to their spiritual selves. Towards the end of the letter, Keats reveals that he is sending Shelley a volume of his poetry and anticipates the arrival of Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound. Keats ends the letter stating, “I must exp[r]ess once more my deep sense of your kindness, adding my sincere thanks and respects for Mrs. Shelley.” (Keats 979). The strong, loving friendship that Keats had with Shelley is emphasized in the closing remarks of the letter.

Throughout this letter, the theme of death and Keats’s constant contemplation of death is prevalent. In much of his poetry, Keats mentions death as an escape from the world he lives in. It seems as though Keats dwells on death because of his illness, the many deaths in his family, and his desire to escape the pain of the living world. An example of the theme of death in his poetry is found in Ode to a Nightingale. He writes, ” I have been half in love with easeful Death, / Call’d him soft names in many a mused rhyme,” (Keats 929). Keats relies on death because it has been the only constant thing in his life.

Keats is connected to the Romantic period because of his strong use of emotion and mentions of his imagination. He reveals his feelings of the events happening in his life through this letter. Writers of the Romantic period commonly expressed their emotions and feelings through their works. Some examples of strong emotion found throughout the letter is in his use of words, such as, “gratified,” “glad,” “hateful,” and “soothed.” The word choice Keats uses is surged with a passion that is felt by the reader. In terms of the imagination, Keats reveals to Shelley, “My Imagination is a Monastery and I am its Monk–you must explain my metapcs to yourself.” (Keats 979). This statement communicates that he lives within his imagination. During the Romantic period, writers relied heavily on their own imagination, instead of so much reliance on reason. A great example of the theme of imagination in Keats’s poetry is also found in Ode to a Nightingale where Keats describes, “Away! away! for I will fly to thee, / Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards. / But on the viewless wings of Poesy,” (Keats 928). Keats is saying that he will not be drunk on wine, but drunk or mesmerized by the poetic imagination. He does not need material objects, like wine, because he has his own imagination to thrive on.

The following images are the original copies of the letter.

Click here to return to the Keats letter introduction page.
An Introduction
Created by Shannon Robison

Works Cited:
Bodleian Library. “To Percy Bysshe Shelley.” N.p. Web. 15 May 2014.
Keats, John. “To Percy Bysshe Shelley.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, et al. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2012. 979. Print.
Keats, John. “Ode to a Nightingale.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, et al. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2012. 927-929. Print
Quote on Imagination. Digital image. Tumblr. N.p.,1 Oct. 2013. Web. 14 May 2014.