Endymion

Excerpt:
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth

Greek mythology describes Endymion as a shepherd who won Selene (or Cynthia), the goddess of the moon, over with his beauty. Zeus fulfilled her request to give him perpetual youth and make him sleep for all time. After spending the night with Endymion, Selene had fifty daughters with him. Keats made Endymion the protagonist of his poem, but he altered the narrative by having Endymion fall hopelessly in love with Cynthia. The experiences of Endymion as he searches for his love are then described by Keats.

Endymion was Keats' first long poem. It is broken up into four pieces, each roughly 1,000 lines long, and is primarily composed of loosely rhymed couplets. Although the poem received harsh criticism when it was first published, it is still among Keats' best-known compositions today. One of the most well-known passages in English literature is its opening: "A piece of beauty is a joy for ever."

Type: Narrative Poem
Published: 1818