New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-12-23
John Keats

iossible has been extracted to illustrate
he tremendous progress Keats made in
Two years. the fact remains that there
yere scattered everywhere in the book pas
ages which might have shown any one but
dolt that this was a great poet in the
baking, and that it contained, moreover,
ITO one who has been long in city pen;
Sleep and Poetry" and, above all, the
'onnet on Chapman's Homer
THE reception that it got is notorious.
IL "The Book" says Cowden Clarke,
might have emerged in Timbuctoo with far
tronger chance Of fame and appreciation.
The whole community, as If by compact,
eemed determined to know nothing about
!" This is a slight exaggeration. There
as little sale. and this is how the pub
sher alludes 70 it:
. BY far the greater number of persons who
ave purchased 10 from Us have found fault
fith it in such plain terms that we have
many cases offered 20 take il back rather
nan be annoyed with the rdicule which has
act, IL was only on Saturday last that we
ere under the modification of having our
wn opinion Of its merits fatty contradicted
ty a gentleman, who told us he considered
! "no better than "a take-iu.'
4 The critics, however. said little about it
except that Keats was unciean); their
fforts were reserved for "Endymion,'
ghich came out next year. With this the
riends of that amiable but infatuated
Dung harding. Mister John Keats, could
o longer complain that he was entirely ig-
lored. "Blackwood' led the pack, "The
Quarterly" and "The British Critic fol-
owing. Here is "Blackwood's' peroration;
3 And now good morrow to the "Muses' son
N Promise; as for the fcats he yet may
o." as we do not pretend 20 say like himself
Muse of my native land am / inspired we
ihall adhere 10 the safe old rule Of DducG
erba. We venture TO make one small proph-
sy that his bookseller will not d second
Z me venture $50 upon anything he can write.
is a better and - wiser thing 10 be a
starved apothecary than a starved poet; so
aek to the shop Mr. John. back TO 'plasters,
Ills and ointment boxes etc. But for
eaven's sake, young Sangrado, be a little
aore sparing Of eXtenuatiycs and soporihcs
J your practice than you have been in your
oetry.
This passage is well known. What is not
. generally realized is the slowness with
Fhich the appreciation Of him spread even
fter bis death. He had died, and Shelley's
reat elegy on him was under review,
Then "Blackwood' resumed with refer
nee TO him as
young msn who had left a decent calling
Dor the melancholy trade OF Cockney- poetry
4 Ind has lately died Of a consumption after
hving written two or three little books Of
srse much neglected by the public.
A comic analysis Of "Adonais," with par
dies on it followed. A few men knew what
<eats was-Lamb, Shelley, Leigh Hunt
nd Keats's young friends. Reynolds, in a
ater letter, said: 'lIe had the greatest
over ofspoetry in him Of any one since
hakespeare." Eight years after his death
group Of young Cambridge men, includ-
az Tennyson. Fitzgerald, Sterling, Arthur
gallam and Monckton Milnes-Browning,
boy, had already been inspired by him
were the first group Of enthusiasts who
I'D not known him in the flesh But the
undits still remained secure in their
rassness. II was in 1892 that The Quar-