The Project Gutenberg EBook of Endymion, by John Keats

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Title: Endymion
A Poetic Romance

Author: John Keats

Release Date: January 14, 2008 [EBook #24280]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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ENDYMION:

A Poetic Romance.

BY JOHN KEATS.

"THE STRETCHED METRE OF AN ANTIQUE SONG."

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR TAYLOR AND HESSEY,
93, FLEET STREET.
1818.

INSCRIBED TO THE MEMORY OF THOMAS CHATTERTON.

PREFACE.

Knowing within myself the manner in which this Poem has been
produced, it is not without a feeling of regret that I make it
public.

What manner I mean, will be quite clear to the reader, who must soon
perceive great inexperience, immaturity, and every error denoting a
feverish attempt, rather than a deed accomplished. The two first
books, and indeed the two last, I feel sensible are not of such
completion as to warrant their passing the press; nor should they if
I thought a year's castigation would do them any good;--it will not:
the foundations are too sandy. It is just that this youngster should
die away: a sad thought for me, if I had not some hope that while it
is dwindling I may be plotting, and fitting myself for verses fit to
live.

This may be speaking too presumptuously, and may deserve a
punishment: but no feeling man will be forward to inflict it: he will
leave me alone, with the conviction that there is not a fiercer hell
than the failure in a great object. This is not written with the
least atom of purpose to forestall criticisms of course, but from the
desire I have to conciliate men who are competent to look, and who do
look with a zealous eye, to the honour of English literature.

The imagination of a boy is healthy, and the mature imagination of a
man is healthy; but there is a space of life between, in which the
soul is in a ferment, the character undecided, the way of life
uncertain, the ambition thick-sighted: thence proceeds mawkishness,
and all the thousand bitters which those men I speak of must
necessarily