On First Looking into Chapman's Homer
Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold,
And many goodly states and kingdoms seen;
Round many western islands have I been
Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold.
Oft of one wide expanse had I been told
That deep-browed Homer ruled as his demesne;
Yet did I never breathe its pure serene
Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold:
Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
When a new planet swims into his ken;
Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes
He star'd at the Pacific — and all his men
Look'd at each other with a wild surmise —
Silent, upon a peak in Darien.
From Chapman's Odyssey (1616):
HE man, O Muse, inform, that many a way
Wound with his wisdom to his wished stay;
That wandered wondrous far, when he the town
Of sacred Troy had sack'd and shivered down;
The cities of a world of nations, 5
With all their manners, minds, and fashions,
He saw and knew; at sea felt many woes,
Much care sustained, to save from overthrows
Himself and friends in their retreat for home;
But so their fates he could not overcome, 10
Though much he thirsted it. O men unwise,
They perish'd by their own impieties,
That in their hunger's rapine would not shun
The oxen of the lofty-going Sun,
Who therefore from their eyes the day bereft 15
Of safe return. These acts, in some part left,
Tell us, as others, deified Seed of Jove.
Observing the rhyme scheme in this poem, it is interesting to note that for the first eight lines of the poem that it has an ABBA rhyme scheme. However this changes upon the ninth line and from here to the end of the poem it follows a CDCDC rhyme scheme. Why is it this way? Observing the context of the beginning eight lines, it appears as if Keats is just going through the motions in his visits to "many goodly states and kingdoms seen," and this is why, at first, he misses out on the "pure serene" or a type of divine connection. In this way, the rhyme scheme of ABBA seems to contain this hidden feeling, not letting it out in alternate rhyme till in line 9 Keats hears the "Chapman speak out loud and bold." With the alternate rhyme set up, the reader can almost picture Keats transitioning from simply ambling from one kingdom to another to becoming like the "watcher of the skies." It is in these last lines Keats realizes the advantage of the meditative "golden silence" over the earthly "realms of gold."
ReplyDeleteThe change in the rhyme scheme actually has a simple explanation. "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" is a Petrarchan sonnet, which means that it follows the rhyme scheme for the first eight lines abbaabba followed by the last sestet in cdcdcd or other similar variations. A change in rhyme scheme and therefore a turn is natural to this form. I think you are right to note the significance of the turn after the first eight lines. I would say, however, that this turn is the poem's moment of epiphany- Keats' first reading of Homer. He has discovered something so powerful, rich, and important in Homer that he can now contrast the feeling of discovery with other works that he had been reading before Homer; they simply pale in comparison.
DeleteKeats does a lot with punctuation and pause in this sonnet. His placement of the dashes in lines 12 and 13 helps ease the enjambment between the lines as it attempts to encapsulate the awe of onlookers in the simile comparing Keats' discovery of Homer to Cortez's (or not Cortez's) discovery of the Pacific. For me, this highlights Keats' impassioned feelings about this event (discovery Homer), because he finds it as immense and significant as discovering an ocean. There is something goofy happening with meter in line 12 that throws off the rhythm of the line. The separation by dash directly follows the irregular meter in the words " Pacific- and" No matter how I try, I cannot make it iambic. No matter how Keats tries, he cannot make his reading of Homer to be of equal impact as other works were. Its irregular. It stands out. And just as Cortez distinguished himself in his personal first sight of the Pacific, even though he may not have technically been the first European to do so, his certainly had the lasting effect. Perhaps Keats feels the same. While he certainly was not the first to read Homer, he feels that his reading and reaction merits note.
On the same note re: the abba scheme for the first eight lines and then the change, the timing is perfect. Not only does it evidence a change according to form, but Keats uses the form to further underscore the change in perspective of the speaker. Before he had only a cursory experience with these places that other great men had seen (Homer). But it was not until the Chapman's great work that he was able to fully experience it. At that point, Chapman's "loud and bold," he sees the world anew. Thus the rhyming scheme changes with it. It's a whole new world unlike the eight lines before it.
ReplyDeleteOr...Keats could simply be hipster enough that after eight lines he too became sick of disco.
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ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! This really is one of my favorites. I love how Keats uses such rich, royal language to describe his relationship with Chapman’s translation of Homer’s The Odyssey. He utilizes the sonnet form to communicate with his beginning six lines and following eight. He begins by qualifying himself as a well-traveled, well-cultured individual. In other words, he establishes his credibility as a worthy critic. He takes the last eight lines to turn the corner and use that credibility to the end of glorifying Chapman’s version of the Odyssey. In essence, he says that all of his previous experiences pale in comparison to the literary bliss he experienced with his first glance at this script. This literary set up and slam-dunk combined with Keats’ mesmerizing choice of imagery diction truly does justice and even more to this oh-so-great version of The Odyssey. I wonder which work is really the masterpiece….
ReplyDeleteReading this poem, one thing that I noticed was Keats' nod to classical poetry, mostly in lines 1-6.
ReplyDeleteFirst, his descriptions of his travels around the world identify him as a wanderer. This very nicely parallels the protagonist in Homer's "Odyssey." Like Odysseus, Keats says that he has traveled extensively and has seen "goodly states and kingdoms" as well as fantastical "realms of gold."
Another way in which Keats emulates classical poetry is with his description of Homer. In lots of his works, Homer describes people by using a formula: adjective + body part + name. For example, Hera is often called "ox-eyed Hera," and Athena is "grey-eyed Athena." Keats copies this by talking about "deep-browed Homer." People who have read any of Homer's works would recognize this as a play off of Homer's style.
Since Keats is writing about classical works by Homer, he emulates the writing style of the ancient texts by using common elements in them in his own work.
Adding a few observations on the imagery, after his newly gained insights due to Chapman's rendering of the Odyssey, both images are parallel to the some elemnets of the legend: he described himeself as a watcher of the sky, like ancient Grecian prophet or foreseer, dealing with the divine. When a new celestial body "swims" into ken, there must be something so sublime and wonderful about this phenomenon that makes a deeper impact on the prophet than any one else. The word "swim" also creates the sense that this new wonder is carried by waves, conjuring pictures of ships sailing through waves.
ReplyDeleteJust as Cortez came from across the Atlantic ocean and set foot on the new world, Odysseus had travelled many seas to encounter new wonders. The men who "Look'd at each other with a wild surmise" reminds me of the stupid flock of seamen Odysseus sailed with -funny comparison.