s, and to
most of the "classic" writers of the preceding century,--and so he set
himself to the task of reflecting in modern English the spirit of the old
Greeks.

The imperfect results of this attempt are seen in his next volume,
_Endymion_, which is the story of a young shepherd beloved by a moon
goddess. The poem begins with the striking lines:

A thing of beauty is a joy forever;
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,

which well illustrate the spirit of Keats's later work, with its perfect
finish and melody. It has many quotable lines and passages, and its "Hymn
to Pan" should be read in connection with Wordsworth's famous sonnet
beginning, "The world is too much with us." The poem gives splendid
promise, but as a whole it is rather chaotic, with too much ornament and
too little design, like a modern house. That Keats felt this defect
strongly is evident from his modest preface, wherein he speaks of
_Endymion_, not as a deed accomplished, but only as an unsuccessful attempt
to suggest the underlying beauty of Greek mythology.

Keats's third and last volume, _Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and
Other Poems_ (1820), is the one with which the reader should begin his
acquaintance with this master of English verse. It has only two subjects,
Greek mythology and mediaeval romance. "Hyperion" is a magnificent fragment,
suggesting the first arch of a cathedral that was never finished. Its theme
is the overthrow of the Titans by the young sun-god Apollo. Realizing his
own immaturity and lack of knowledge, Keats laid aside this work, and only
the pleadings of his publisher induced him to print the fragment with his
completed poems.

Throughout this last volume, and especially in "Hyperion," the influence of
Milton is apparent, while Spenser is more frequently suggested in reading
_Endymion_.

Of the longer poems in the volume, "Lamia" is the most suggestive. It is
the story of a beautiful enchantress, who turns from a serpent into a
glorious woman and fills every human sense with delight, until, as a result
of the foolish philosophy of old Apollonius, she vanishes forever from her
lover's sight. "The Eve of St. Agnes," the most perfect of Keats's mediaeval
poems, is not a story after the manner of the metrical romances, but rather
a vivid painting of a romantic