El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-06-20
Keats a Failure In Love
His Passion For Fanny Brown Was
His Only Affair of the Heart and
He Did Not Win Her Love.
By Madison c. Peters q
r Ohm KEATs's father was a stable

7 Ohm REATS'S father was a stable
hostler. VINO had The good for
tune TO marry his employers
daughter. John was apprenuced to a
surgeon 81 Is, and four years later
took out his license ct Apothecaries'
hall. He did little at his profession.
He was born q poet and had his life
been spared would have Wreathed
Euglands brow with al ImmOrtelle as
green and Undyinc as that with which
Shakspere encircled it
Keats was shy and diffident towards
women He said in a letter to a friend:
I am certain 1 have not a right feel
ing toward women I am striving to
be just TO them, but 1 cannot 1t is
because they fall so far beneath my
Imagination. When I was a schoOlboy
/ thought q fair woman pure god
dess, ethereal, above any man" After
ward, he came TO the conclusion that
women were only equal 10 men, or Il
great by comparison, very small"
He became Indifferent TO and sus-
piciOus of their society, finding, TO
use his own worOs that cit aroused
in him evil thoughts, malice and
spleen 1 cannot speak, I am in a
hurry to begOne, after all I do think
better Of womankind than to suppose
that they care whether John Keats,
five feet hlgn, likes them or not
Fanny BraUne Different.
All this was changed when he met
Fanny Brawne. He was an ardent lover
and she inspired some Of his best work.
The first impression was not alto
gether favorable He wrote TO his
brother that she wanted sentiment in
every feature-that she managed 10
make her hair look Well-her nOstrils
he declared were very fine, though
little painful, her profile better than
her full face, which not fun, but pale
Oh.
He declared: She is ignorant, mon
strous in her behavior, flying out in all
directions, calling people such names
that 1 was forced lately to make use
Of the term mink He declared her
shape graceful her arms good, her
hands badish and her feet tOlerable.
But the disagreeable Fanny must have
improved upon acquaintance He be-
came so completely fascinated that he
engaged himself to her.
Keats had an earlier romance with
Fanny Cox. He wrote to his brother
in America: She is not a Cleopatra,
but she is at least a CHAIRMAN; she
has a rich, eastern look. fine eyes and
fine manner When she comes into
the room she makes the same impress
sion as the beauty Of a leOpardess. She
is too fine and too conscious OF her
self TO repulse any man who may ad-
dress her. am too much occupied in
aCmiring her TO be awkward ] forget
myself entirely because live in her"
Keats loved Miss Cox as "a fine thing
In a worldly way but his only real
romance was his attachment TO Fanny
BraWne. Z think" he writes, she IS
beautiful and elegant. graceful, silly, |
fashionable and strange We have !
little tiff now and then ana she be- /
comes a little better"
Not Happy in Love Making.
But love making to Keats was not
.H=H5
manner was not always the same and i
Ortured himself with all kinds OF I
ancies about her.
Miss Brawne never appreciated the /
genius of Keats. she had a certain /
ttachment for him, but when she saw /
hat her hopes Of an alliance with him,
ue to his I'll health, could never be
called. she vainly referred to him as
that silly young poet who was in love
18th me-"
In his lode to Fanny" he breathes
Orth his soul in the very abandon OF
we. 1 Gull a few selections from his
stters TO her. when II health forced
i'm TO spend the winter in Italy
7 kiss'd your writing over in the
ope that you had INDUCED my love for
7 viii imagine you a Venus tonight
nd pray, pray, pray to your star ike
4 cannot believe there ever was
ever could be anything TO admire
D me. especially as far as sight goes
cannot be admired. You are-I love
on: all I can bring you Is a swOOning
dmiration Of your beauty"
Fanny was always an inspiration to
i'm and she cherished his letters with I
ut any thought Of the genius that
enued them, although i'm later years
he understood and allowed the letters
o be published
Dies at &c
When Keats wrote the letters, he
new he was a victim of the white
.ague" which had carried off his
other and brother. He died in Italy
.efore he was % years old
When death was fast approaching he
rote. 4 cannot bear TO die and leave
annie. Everything that ] have In my
runks that reminds me Of her, goes
through me like spear"
Poor Keats once said 4 hope I shall !
ever marry" His hopes were real
sed.
Miss BraWne was unworthy Of his I
I'VE. She soon married another and !
n years after keats's death she wrote !
{ him TO a friend The kindest act |
ould be to let him rest forever in (
he obscurity TO which circumstances
ave condemned him"
II YOU WANT RESULTS