Sunday, August 27, 2023

"Sonnet XVII. Happy Is England" by John Keats

 

Sonnet XVII. Happy Is England


Happy is England! I could be content

To see no other verdure than its own;

To feel no other breezes than are blown

Through its tall woods with high romances blent:

Yet do I sometimes feel a languishment

For skies Italian, and an inward groan

To sit upon an Alp as on a throne,

And half forget what world or worldling meant.

Happy is England, sweet her artless daughters;

Enough their simple loveliness for me,

Enough their whitest arms in silence clinging:

Yet do I often warmly burn to see

Beauties of deeper glance, and hear their singing,

And float with them about the summer waters. 



Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.


poem video👇

https://youtu.be/209lchgjQT0






who wrote the poem "Happy Is England"?


John Keats (October 31, 1795 – February 23, 1821)

 

John Keats was one of the leading figures of the second generation of Romantic poets, alongside Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. John Keats was not born into wealth. After the death of his parents, he was left with a guardian who mismanaged his inheritance. He initially pursued a career in medicine but abandoned it to focus on poetry, not a lucrative career. He endured personal tragedies with the early deaths of his parents, the loss of his brother to tuberculosis, and his own battle with the disease, compounded by a tumultuous relationship with Fanny Brawne. These challenges deeply influenced his poetic themes of mortality, love, and transience. Keats' career was brief, spanning only six years. However, his poetic style, characterized by sensual imagery and emotional intensity, has inspired countless writers and poets throughout history.



"Happy Is England" explanation

 

The speaker expresses his love for England and its natural beauty. He admires England's woods, breezes, and artless daughters. However, he also yearns for the allure of Italy and its deeper beauties. The Alp represents a desire for elevation and escape from worldly concerns. The poem captures the tension between contentment and wanderlust. Keats' yearning for Italy became a reality when he traveled there, though his health deteriorated during his stay.



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