To George Felton Mathew (Poem by John Keats)

To George Felton Mathew

By John Keats

Sweet are the pleasures that to verse belong,

And doubly sweet a brotherhood in song;

Nor can remembrance, Mathew! bring to view

A fate more pleasing, a delight more true

Than that in which the brother Poets joy'd,

Who with combined powers, their wit employ'd

To raise a trophy to the drama's muses.

The thought of this great partnership diffuses

Over the genius loving heart, a feeling

Of all that's high, and great, and good, and healing.

Too partial friend! fain would I follow thee

Past each horizon of fine poesy;

Fain would I echo back each pleasant note

As o'er Sicilian seas, clear anthems float

'Mong the light skimming gondolas far parted,

Just when the sun his farewell beam has darted:

But 'tis impossible; far different cares

Beckon me sternly from soft "Lydian airs,"

And hold my faculties so long in thrall,

That I am oft in doubt whether at all

I shall again see Phoebus in the morning:

Or flush'd Aurora in the roseate dawning!

Or a white Naiad in a rippling stream;

Or a rapt seraph in a moonlight beam;

Or again witness what with thee I've seen,

The dew by fairy feet swept from the green,

After a night of some quaint jubilee

Which every elf and fay had come to see:

When bright processions took their airy march

Beneath the curved moon's triumphal arch.

But might I now each passing moment give

To the coy muse, with me she would not live

In this dark city, nor would condescend

'Mid contradictions her delights to lend.

Should e'er the fine-eyed maid to me be kind,

Ah! surely it must be whene'er I find

Some flowery spot, sequester'd, wild, romantic,

That often must have seen a poet frantic;

Where oaks, that erst the Druid knew, are growing,

And flowers, the glory of one day, are blowing;

Where the dark-leav'd laburnum's drooping clusters

Reflect athwart the stream their yellow lustres,

And intertwined the cassia's arms unite,

With its own drooping buds, but very white.

Where on one side are covert branches hung,

'Mong which the nightingales have always sung

In leafy quiet; where to pry, aloof,

Atween the pillars of the sylvan roof,

Would be to find where violet beds were nestling,

And where the bee with cowslip bells was wrestling.

There must be too a ruin dark, and gloomy,

To say "joy not too much in all that's bloomy."

Yet this is vain — O Mathew lend thy aid

To find a place where I may greet the maid — 

Where we may soft humanity put on,

And sit, and rhyme and think on Chatterton;

And that warm-hearted Shakspeare sent to meet him

Four laurell'd spirits, heaven-ward to intreat him.

With reverence would we speak of all the sages

Who have left streaks of light athwart their ages:

And thou shouldst moralize on Milton's blindness,

And mourn the fearful dearth of human kindness

To those who strove with the bright golden wing

Of genius, to flap away each sting

Thrown by the pitiless world. We next could tell

Of those who in the cause of freedom fell:

Of our own Alfred, of Helvetian Tell;

Of him whose name to ev'ry heart's a solace,

High-minded and unbending William Wallace.

While to the rugged north our musing turns

We well might drop a tear for him, and Burns.

Felton! without incitements such as these,

How vain for me the niggard Muse to tease:

For thee, she will thy every dwelling grace,

And make "a sun-shine in a shady place:"

For thou wast once a flowret blooming wild,

Close to the source, bright, pure, and undefil'd,

Whence gush the streams of song: in happy hour

Came chaste Diana from her shady bower,

Just as the sun was from the east uprising;

And, as for him some gift she was devising,

Beheld thee, pluck'd thee, cast thee in the stream

To meet her glorious brother's greeting beam.

I marvel much that thou hast never told

How, from a flower, into a fish of gold

Apollo chang'd thee; how thou next didst seem

A black-eyed swan upon the widening stream;

And when thou first didst in that mirror trace

The placid features of a human face:

That thou hast never told thy travels strange.

And all the wonders of the mazy range

O'er pebbly crystal, and o'er golden sands;

Kissing thy daily food from Naiad's pearly hands.

November, 1815

Poem Analysis:

John Keats’s poem To George Felton Mathew (1815) is a deeply affectionate and reflective piece, blending personal admiration, poetic philosophy, and rich classical imagery. Written during Keats’s early career, it is both an address to a friend and a meditation on the nature of poetry, artistic inspiration, and the quest for beauty amidst the distractions of urban life. The poem exhibits Keats’s emerging Romantic ideals — reverence for nature, admiration of earlier poets, and the longing for a purer, more inspired artistic existence.

Themes

1. Brotherhood in Poetry

From its opening lines, the poem celebrates the bond between poets:

“Sweet are the pleasures that to verse belong,

And doubly sweet a brotherhood in song.”

Keats finds a unique joy in shared artistic pursuit, likening his friendship with Mathew to the fellowship of earlier poetic partnerships. The mention of “the brother Poets joy’d, / Who with combined powers, their wit employ’d / To raise a trophy to the drama’s muses” suggests Keats’s admiration for literary collaborations, possibly alluding to playwrights like Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Poetry is presented not only as a personal expression but also as a communal, almost sacred craft.

2. The Struggle for Inspiration

Keats laments the difficulty of finding inspiration amidst the distractions of city life:

“But ’tis impossible; far different cares

Beckon me sternly from soft ‘Lydian airs.’”

The “Lydian airs” symbolize soft, melodious poetry, while the “dark city” represents the harsh realities that hinder his creative flow. Keats associates true poetic inspiration with natural, secluded, and romantic landscapes, as opposed to the urban environment that “holds [his] faculties so long in thrall.” This tension between the ideal poetic environment and the demands of everyday life is a recurring theme in Keats’s early works.

3. The Ideal Setting for Poetry

Keats envisions the perfect environment for poetic creation as a secluded, almost mystical landscape:

“Some flowery spot, sequester’d, wild, romantic,

That often must have seen a poet frantic;

Where oaks, that erst the Druid knew, are growing,

And flowers, the glory of one day, are blowing.”

This imagined place is rich with natural beauty, history, and a sense of timelessness. By evoking Druids, nightingales, and ruins, Keats aligns himself with Romanticism’s fascination with both the natural world and the remnants of ancient civilizations. The ruin, he notes, serves as a reminder of transience:

“To say ‘joy not too much in all that’s bloomy.’”

4. Reverence for Past Poets and Heroes

Keats draws a line of continuity between his own poetic aspirations and the great minds of the past. He invokes Shakespeare, Milton, Chatterton, and Burns, presenting them as guiding spirits:

“And that warm-hearted Shakspeare sent to meet him

Four laurell’d spirits, heaven-ward to intreat him.”

This passage shows Keats’s deep respect for literary tradition and his awareness of standing in the shadow of giants. He also praises figures like William Wallace and Alfred the Great, blending literary admiration with a Romantic celebration of freedom and heroic defiance.

5. The Myth of Felton Mathew

Keats playfully mythologizes his friend, likening Mathew to a divine being:

“For thou wast once a flowret blooming wild,

Close to the source, bright, pure, and undefil’d,

Whence gush the streams of song.”

In a whimsical turn, Keats imagines Mathew as a flower transformed by Apollo into various forms — a fish of gold, a black-eyed swan, and finally a human. This extended metaphor suggests Mathew’s innate poetic nature and the divine inspiration Keats associates with true artistry.

Imagery and Language

Keats’s language is rich with classical and natural imagery. He references mythological figures like Phoebus (Apollo) and Aurora, intertwining classical allusions with Romantic reverence for nature. His descriptions of nature — “dark-leav’d laburnum’s drooping clusters” and “the bee with cowslip bells” — reveal the vivid sensual detail that would later define his mature odes.

The playful narrative of Mathew’s transformation reads almost like a pastoral myth, reminiscent of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. By framing his friend in this mythological light, Keats elevates their poetic bond to something sacred and timeless.

Tone and Mood

The tone of the poem alternates between affectionate intimacy and lofty idealism. Keats speaks as both a devoted friend and a fellow dreamer, sharing his poetic yearnings with Mathew. There is also a tone of wistfulness, as Keats acknowledges the obstacles to his creative life in the “dark city” and longs for the freedom to immerse himself fully in nature and poetry.

Structure

The poem is composed of rhyming couplets, giving it a harmonious and flowing quality that mirrors the musicality Keats associates with poetry. The couplets also allow Keats to transition smoothly between personal reflection, vivid description, and playful narrative.

Romantic Ideals in the Poem

To George Felton Mathew embodies key Romantic values:

• Reverence for Nature: Keats finds poetic inspiration in wild, untouched landscapes rather than urban life.
• Imagination and Myth: The playful mythologizing of Mathew reflects the Romantic belief in imagination as a source of truth and beauty.
• Admiration for Past Poets: The poem connects the poet’s personal voice to a larger literary tradition.
• Emphasis on Emotion and Friendship: The warmth of Keats’s address to Mathew highlights the Romantic ideal of deep emotional bonds.

In To George Felton Mathew, Keats offers both a personal tribute to a friend and a manifesto of his poetic ideals. He contrasts the mundane constraints of urban life with the transcendent possibilities of poetry, nature, and friendship. Through vivid imagery, mythological references, and heartfelt admiration for past poets, Keats presents poetry as both a personal calling and a timeless, collective endeavor.

This early poem foreshadows the concerns that would dominate Keats’s later work — the tension between transience and immortality, the search for beauty, and the belief in art’s ability to elevate the human spirit.