Thursday, February 23, 2012

Hmmmm A Draught of Sunshine

I began typing thinking I would write about a book I bought on iTunes because it was free....well I know why its free. So Anyways I think I'll explicate a poem because I found and interesting one and need to work on poetry studies.
A Draught of Sunshine by Keats
"My bowl is the sky,
And I drink at my eye,
Till I feel in the brain
A Delphian pain -
Then follow, my Caius! then follow:
On the green of the hill
We will drink our fill
Of golden sunshine,
Till our brains intertwine
With the glory and grace of Apollo!"

This poem is filled with Greek references which I find appealing because I went to Greece and went to Delphi, to the temple where the famous oracle was. Apparently there is a methane gas leak underneath the temple which might have contributed to the vague predictions, leading to Keats's "Delphian pain". Keats spends the first six lines of the poem disowning drink, saying happiness does not need to arise from that. He transitions into "drinking" from his eye and other descriptions which bring stark images into ones mind. This poem seems to reflect the Ode To A Grecian Urn. It speaks of the beauty of the culture and what Keats wants himself and the world to remember.

1 comment:

  1. maybe you and Keats have the same obsession with Greece. He was big on Italy too (died there)
    try "On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer" more Greek-love from Keats

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