Until that grove appear'd, as if perchance,
And then his tongue with sober seemlihed
Gave utterance as he enter'd: Ha! I said,
"King of the butterflies; but by this gloom,
And by old Rhadamanthus' tongue of doom,
This dusk religion, pomp of solitude,
And the Promethean clay by thief endued,
By old Saturnus' forelock, by his head
Shook with eternal palsy, I did wed
Myself to things of light from infancy;
And thus to be cast out, thus lorn to die,
Is sure enough to make a mortal man
Grow impious." So he inwardly began
On things for which no wording can be found;
Deeper and deeper sinking, until drown'd
Beyond the reach of music: for the choir

Of Cynthia he heard not, though rough briar
Nor muffling thicket interpos'd to dull
The vesper hymn, far swollen, soft and full,
Through the dark pillars of those sylvan aisles.
He saw not the two maidens, nor their smiles,
Wan as primroses gather'd at midnight
By chilly finger'd spring. Unhappy wight!
Endymion!" said Peona, "we are here!

950

955

960

965

970

What wouldst thou ere we all are laid on bier?"
Then he embrac'd her, and his lady's hand

Press'd, saying: "Sister, I would have command,

975

If it were heaven's will, on our sad fate."
At which that dark-ey'd stranger stood elate
And said, in a new voice, but sweet as love,

(949-50) In the draft

Until he saw that grove, as if perchance,
And then his soul was changed...

(951) The inverted commas are closed after Ha! in the first edition; but it is not so in the manuscript; and the matter is set right in the corrected copy.

(955) Cancelled reading of the manuscript, And by Promethean... This was probably rejected to get rid of the repetition of the word by.

(956) The draft reads And by old Saturn's single forelock...

(967) The draft reads prelude for vesper.

(968) It is worth noting that, when writing out the fair copy, Keats made three several attempts to spell this word aisles rightly, having first written it isles, then ailes and lastly aisles.

(974-7) The draft reads as follows:

Her brother kiss'd her, and his lady's hand
Saying, "Sweet sister I would have command,
If it were heaven's will, on our sad fate."
Then that dark-tressed stranger stood elate...

To Endymion's amaze : "By Cupid's dove,
And so thou shalt! and by the lilly truth
Of my own breast thou shalt, beloved youth!"
And as she spake, into her face there came
Light, as reflected from a silver flame:
Her long black hair swell'd ampler, in display
Full golden; in her eyes a brighter day
Dawn'd blue and full of love. Aye, he beheld
Phoebe, his passion! joyous she upheld

Her lucid bow, continuing thus: Drear, drear
Has our delaying been; but foolish fear

980

985

Withheld me first; and then decrees of fate;

990

And then 'twas fit that from this mortal state

Thou shouldst, my love, by some unlook'd for change

As was thy cradle; hither shalt thou flee

995

To meet us many a time." Next Cynthia bright

Peona kiss'd, and bless'd with fair good night:

Her brother kiss'd her too, and knelt adown

Before his goddess, in a blissful swoon.
She gave her fair hands to him, and behold,
Before three swiftest kisses he had told,

They vanish'd far away!— Peona went

Home through the gloomy wood in wonderment.

THE END.

1000

(984-6) In the draft thus:

Her long black Hair swell'd ampler, while it turned

Golden and her eyes of jet dawned forth a brighter day
Blue-blue-and full of love.

(997-8) In the finished manuscript the word kist occurs twice in these two lines instead of kiss'd as in the first edition; but bless'd is not similarly transformed to blest.

(1003) At the end of the draft Keats wrote " Burford Bridge Nov. 28. 1817-".

The imprint of Endymion is as follows:

T. Miller, Printer, Noble Street, Cheapside.

LAMIA,

ISABELLA,

THE EVE OF ST. AGNES,

AND

OTHER POEMS.

BY JOHN KEATS,

AUTHOR OF ENDYMION.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR TAYLOR AND HESSEY,

FLEET-STREET.

ADVERTISEMENT.

IF any apology be thought necessary for the appearance of the unfinished poem of HYPERION, the publishers beg to state that they alone are responsible, as it was printed at their particular request, and contrary to the wish of the author. The poem was intended to have been of equal length with ENDYMION, but the reception given to that work discouraged the author from proceeding.

Fleet-Street, June 26, 1820.

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