JOHN KEATS ATTITUDES TOWARDS NATURE

Introduction

Among other ingredients of romantic poetry, love for nature is also its significant element.  Every romantic poet finds pleasure in discussing nature.

William Wordsworth found God in nature and asserted its importance;

William Blake also spreads light on its significance;

 S. T. Coleridge blended nature with supernatural elements.

Indeed, every romantic poet either directly or indirectly considers nature an important element of life and poetry.

Cause of famousness

 John Keats is the best romantic poet among all romantics; though the cause of his famousness is not the explanation of nature in poetry yet unending love for nature separates him from all other romantic poets. He does not only discuss its apparent beauty but also is mysterious qualities, therefore, nature is fully mysterious for him. In his early poems, he has praised only the material things of nature

 Later poems reveal his experience of life, where he finds nature an eternal peace of mind. There is no season, which has not impressed John Keats; no bird has left in the world, which has not left an influence on his mind. He is the one who is impressed by landscapes, fishes, animals, birds, forests, trees, plants and seasons.

“Nature has perfection in the eyes of John Keats.”

Keats loves nature for her own sake

There are some poets, novelists, and dramatists, who talk about materialistic qualities of nature, whereas others consider it the human strongest enemy. Thomas Hardy can be referenced in this context. He is among those persons, who are of the view that nature does not leave any chance to harm mankind but for John Keats, nature is human’s best friend. No doubt, nature soothes him; it gives him consolation; peace of mind can only be obtained in the presence of natural objects.

Nature gives him peace

Thus, John Keats, through his poetry, has increased the importance of nature. A poet’s heart always depends on his mood and nature. Nature gives him peace and helps him to forget the fear and frets of life. There is no denying the fact that John Keats, most of the time, remains in his imagination; he is an escapist but when he escapes from this world and goes in imagination, he spends his time with nature, therefore, nature is his close friend.

John Keats sufferings

A detailed study of John Keats’s autography reveals that he has suffered too much; firstly, due to his lover and secondly due to the death of his brother. Hence, solace is the need of the hour for him. To get consolation and peace, he has befriended nature and lives a life with it. Nature, for John Keats, is more than just a physical world. Every poem of John Keats is evident that he loves nature and unconditionally praises it.

Nature is mysterious

Nature is mysterious in the eyes of John Keats. He does not only loves the natural world but also talks about its mysteriousness. He declares it eternal. For John Keats, nature always wears the colors of the spirit. He studies nature, loves nature and stays close to it.

“It is not wrong to say that without nature, poetry is barren.”

There is no harm in it; without it, the poetry becomes unproductive. It can only bore people; nature’s little touch can increase interests. It can soothe not only bodies but souls too. It is beautiful and pleasurable.

Nature as a source of joy  

John Keats truly loves nature; therefore, he finds beauty everywhere. It is the reason behind his famousness regarding the pursuance of beauty. In loneliness, he enjoys nature’s company; a detail illustration of the natural world is the identity of John Keats. He does not only see nature but feels it. Nature lives in his heart; therefore, it is impossible to separate it from him.

For Keats, nature remains a perennial source of poetry and joy.

For what had made the sage or poet, write but this fair paradise of nature's light?

Nature his beloved

Sometimes, John Keats personifies nature and its objects. He creates living beings from it, which makes his poems more interesting. As mentioned supra, he considers the nature of his friend. He talks to nature and also shares his feelings with it. Loneliness is part of John Keats’s life; the only companion, he has in his life, is nature and its objects.

The natural world of imagination

John Keats goes into detail when he talks about nature. It is because he has minutely observed it. While mentioning detail of a natural object, he creates clear imagery. Readers can easily understand what the writer wants to say. In fact, they along with Keats go in the natural world of imagination. His observation is keen. He presents his feelings in his poems, which can seek the attention of readers. Art of creating a pen picture from natural objects can be learned from John Keats. His contribution in this regard is remarkable.

Examples from Keats works 

Some examples can be quoted from his poems. “Hyperion” is worth mentioning. The description of cool wind is outstanding; the imagery of plants and trees is also noteworthy but the most important poem of John Keats, with respect to natural objects, is “Ode to Nightingale”, in which he enjoys the song of the nightingale and considers it eternal peace. It seems that it is the happiest and peaceful day of John Keats’s life. He truly enjoys the song and proves that it is eternal. Nature is everlasting, he says. We must agree with him. He is right in every sense.

“Though not born for death immortal bird”;

 its song was being listened many years ago; John Keats has also listened to it; today we also enjoy the beautiful voice of a nightingale. Similarly, upcoming generations will also hear and praise their voice. Thus, it cannot be denied that nature is immortal unlike men, who are mortal. Admiration of autumn season is also a notable example of it, in which, instead of maligning it has praised it. Instead of negativity, he has presented the positivity and beauty of the autumn season.

A vivid picture of nature

Keats' description of nature is very beautiful and he, in fact, paints the pictures with words. He is greatly impressed by Spenser and especially his "Fairies’ Queen." It has a tremendous effect on him due to its pictorial quality. That is why, in his poetry, Keats describes things with beautiful images and it seems as if he touches them, hears them and even smells them. In the "Ode to Nightingale", he says:

Fast fading violets covered up in leavesAnd mid-May's eldest child

The coming musk-rose, full of dewy, wine

The murmurous haunts of flies on summer eves

Personification of Nature

Another quality of Keats, as a poet of nature, is that he often presents the objects of nature as a living being with a life of their own. He personifies the objects of nature. in "Ode to Autumn" he says:

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store"

Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find

Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,

Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;

Nature- A source of poetic inspiration

Like the ancient Greeks, Keats often presents the objects of nature as living beings with a life of their own. "He never beholds the Oak Tree without seeing the Dryad." The Moon is Cynthia, the sun is Apollo.

Keats observation of nature is often characterized by minuteness and vividness. Keats's eye observes every little detail and presents it with a mature touch.

Sensuous picture of Nature

To sum up, we can say that Keats is basically a sensuous poet and he loves nature for her own sake, he sought to live in nature and to be incorporated with one beautiful thing after another.

That nature is immortal unlike men, who are mortal

Conclusion

The crux of the whole discussion is that Johns Keats’s main strength is his passionate love for nature. Like every romantic poet, his poetry deals with subjectivity. He expresses his own emotions and thoughts through his poetry. To do this, he uses nature as a medium/symbol. His love is personal. He does not compel readers to love nature instead it is automatically created when readers read the poems. He does not blend any other elements with nature and keeps it pure and proper. His love for nature is for his own sake. If he mixes nature with something, it is sorrows and pains; he has said that melancholy dwells with beauty; nature is the loveliest thing; it is beautiful, therefore, sadness is part and parcel of it. Anyhow, undoubtedly, John Keats creates a natural atmosphere in his poems due to which he can be called a poet of nature.