In John Keats, the poetical character has no self, no identity. The poet is continually in for and filling some other body. Then what is the poetical mind? How does it look like?
In his letter on 23 Oct 1818 to his brother George and his sister in law Georgiana who are newly married, he compared the domestic happiness of marriage with the sublimity of his Solitude in writing poetry. He prefered the latter. He wrote,
" Nowithstanding your happiness and your recommendation I hope I shall never marry."
" Though the most beautiful Creature were waiting for me at the end of a Journey or a Walk; though the Carpet were of Silk, the Curtains of the morning Clouds; the chairs and Sofa stuffed with Cygnet's down; the food Manna, the Wine beyond Claret, the Window opening on Winander mere, "
This is the domestic life he imagined. But he did not believe his would be as fine as this.
"I should not feel - or rather my Happiness would not be so fine, as my Solitude is sublime."
Then he wrote, " Then instead of what I have described, there is a sublimity to welcome me home- the roaring of the wind is my wife and the Stars through the window pane are my children."
And he told the reason why he would rather being single.
" The mighty abstract Idea I have of Beauty in all things strifes the more divided and minute domestic happiness - an amiable wife and sweet children I contemplate as a part of that Beauty, but I must have a thousand of those beautiful particles to fill up my heart."
And what does his poetical mind looks like:
" I feel more and more every day as my imagination strengthens, that I do not live in this world alone but in a thousand worlds - No sooner am I alone than shapes of epic greatness are stationed around me, and serve my Spirit the office which is equivalent to a King's bodyguard - then "Tragedy with sceptred pall comes sweeping by."
" According to my state of mind I am with Achilles shouting in the Trenches, or with Theocritus in the Vales of Sicily. Or I throw my whole being into Troilus, and repeating those lines, " I wander like a lost Soul upon the stygian Banks staying for waftage."
And then he concluded, " I melt into the air with a voluptuousness so delicate that I am content to be alone.
One more reason he rejected domestic life is that he did not have a good opinion on women.
" These things, combined with the opinion I have of the generality of women - who appear to me as children to whom I would rather give a sugar Plum than my time, form a barrier against Matrimony which I rejoice in."
The above opinions he shared with his brother let us know what his ideas on domestic life of marriage and on his solitude for poetry and also have a impression on his poetical mind.
It is interesting to see how he changed after he met Fanny Brawne. Let's see how he felt for Fanny in the following poem:
" What can I do to drive away
Remembrance from my eyes? for they have seen,
Ay, an hour ago, my brilliant Queen!
Touch has a memory. O say, love, say,
What can I do to kill it and be free
In my old liberty?
When every fair one that I saw was fair,
Enough to catch me in but half a snare,
Not keep me there;
When, howe'er poor or parti-coloured things,
My muse had wings,
And ever ready was to take her course
Wither I bent her force,
Unintellectual, yet divine to me -
Divine, I say! What sea-bird o'er the sea
Is a philosopher the while he goes
Winging alone where the great water throes?
How shall I do
To get anew
Those moulted feathers, and so mount once more
Above, above
The reach of fluttering Love,
And make him cower lowly while I soar?
...... "
As what he said, The love for Fanny is unintellectual, yet Divine! And only one particle - Fanny, can take over all his heart, no more for the other one thousand particles. Fanny is truely Divine to him. And this is exactly what he believe:
I am certain of nothing but the holiness of Heart's Affection!!
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