SONNETWHEN I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,
Before high-piled books, in charact'ry,
Hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grain;
When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love! - then on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink.
-- JOHN KEATS (1795-1821) 25 or 26 years of age at death
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Those guys were really into all the death stuff, weren't they? But they probably had little reason not to be, all things considered.
ReplyDeleteDrownings, consumption, insanity... mmmm, boy!
Thanks for sharing. My problems have dwindled to nothing now... at least I made it out of my 20s.
Take care!