The Yazoo City weekly Whig. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 18??-1855, 1854-05-05
JOHN KEATS

1t is the old storyl We are again sum-
moned to admire where once we despised.
The citizens of Bristol erect a monument to
Chatterton, who, to save himself from death
through hunger, took poison, and was
thrown, pauper like, into the burying
ground of Shoe-lane workhouse, London.
Keats, spurned and prosecuted in his life
time is welcomed to-day, aud from his dis
tant grave begins to influence thought in
the land of his birth, which he Quilted in
proud butintolerable despair. The instan-
ces are but two out of many. The tale did
not begin with the marvellous boy, the
sIeepless soul, that persisted ia his pride;'
it is not ended with Adonais whose soul =
"Like star,
Beacons from the abode where the eternals sre''
Our present task is simple Que. We can.
not recall our genius from the tomb to wit
ness the triumph of it's long suffering, and
10 console itself for its wrongs, in our re-
morse. We may in the public market
place do justice to the citizen whom we os-
tracised in ignorance and hooted forth in
folly.
John Keats was born under an unlucky
star. He was beset with evil influences
from the moment that he felt his strength.
Had he been suffered to walk alone, unaided
by the might Of his spirit, he would never
have been struck down on the way by the
fury of meo who were waging war to the
death against his associates. Keats at
starting was the victim Of a quarrel be-
tween parties who, like most antagonists,
were wrong end were right in their respec-
tive grounds of opposition. The chosen or
forced companions of Keats, when. as a
mere boy, he resolved to dedicate his life
to the service of poetry. were unfortunately
members Of aschool Unfortunately, again
the sharpest and cleverest critics Of the day
were members of another. The author oil
Consus himself would not have escaped
scot-free from the encounter Keats might
have sung as an angel, and his voice would
have made no impression upon ears that lis
tened to nothing but the promptings Of ar
internal and most VindictiYe rage.
Il such state of things Keats rese-ar
f1ndoubted poet. Do.not question the fac
with the evidence you have around you, /
is the spirit Of Keats that-at the present mo
ment hovers over the best Of our nationa
poesg, and inspires the poetic genius such
Jas il IS Of our unpoetic age. Had helivec
/ he would undoubtedly have lowered above
his contemporaries; dying before he was
twenty six years Of age, be took bis place q
once amoug the examples whom be SO pas
sionately loved, and so closely initiated anC
so closely approached.
Connected with his illness and dealt
may be mentioned two incidents that foi
the living reader contain mournful and
striking interest. AMONG the earnest friend
! of Keats were Haydon the painter, and Shell
ley thepoet. When Keats was first smit
ten, Hayden visited the sufferer, who hal
written 70 bis old friend requesting to SCI
him before be set for Italy. Hayden des
cribed ia bis journal the powerful impress
sion which the visit made upon him sth
very coioring Of the scene struck forcibl
on tie painters imagination The whit
lcurtains, The white sheets, the white shirt
and the white skin of bis friend alIc0ntras
lied with the bright hectic filsh upon ii
cheek, and heightened &c sinister effect q
went away hardly hoping And he Wh
hardly hoped foF another. Wllaf ex. t'e
hope had Be for himselG From the poet
bed Is the painter's studio IS but 6oun
f0s tha curious and eager mind. Keats
pitied and struck down bY the hand of Dig