The Identity and Difference
between Keats's Hy)erion
and TheFall of Hy)erion
-on
Theme
Yukie ANDO
Forward
John
Keats （1795 − 1821)
wrote
Hyperion
and
The
Fall
of Hyperion
. Both
of them
l
are fragments. Hyperion
is the first version and The Fall is the second one.
know
on
when
about
he
wrote
the middle
them
mainly
of September
through
1818
his letters.
and
had
been
He
began
writing
to write
for two
We
Hyperi-
months
from
late September
2
untill December l
st when
Tom,
his youngest
brother,
died.
He
｀ 3
sometimes
referred to the poem
in his letters and continued
to write it.
But
he
4
could not go ahead
in February
or March
1819 and gave
up by April 20, 1819
The
5
first edition was
published
in 1820. The
Fall
was
begun
to write
sion of ﾌﾐ/yperion in July 1819 and abandoned
6
on September
21, 1819. It
｡
as a reviwas
first
7
printed by Richard
Moncton
Milnes or Lord Houghton
in 1856.
In
this paper
l would
like to compare
and
things
in
common
concretely,
and
Keats's
humanity
of the themes
fall of Hyperion.
also from
and
fragments,
clarify the
We
Themes
Keats intended
understand
his following letter、 He
Georgiana
and
two
point
characteristics
out
differences
of both
poems
as a poet.
The
One
these
Keats,
who
Keats
is Hyperion,
intended
or, more
this not only from
clearly speaking,
the titlesof both
poems
the
but
wrote to his brother and sister-in-law, George
had immigrated
into the United
states, on December
18, 1818:
l think you knew
before you left England that my
−105 −
next subject would be
The Identity and Difference between
'the
Hyperion
fall of Hyperion
”［吹］（II,
is the sun god of Greek
Keats does not distinguish Greek
both mythologies
logies.
He
as Greek
he does not use Cronos
prefers Jupiter of Roman
as Greek
mythology
age ” when
deprived
Saturn
status of Hyperion
was
Roman
seem
remember
the fact that
mythology
but considers
to be used
mythology,
from
from
more
often.
Roman
mythology,
in details. He
was
to Greek
Apollo,
who
For eχSaturn.
was
the sun
god
this perof “the
Saturn
At the same
also the god
in this
but treat
From
mythology,
then “ the silver age ”began.
occupied by
mytho-
Zeus. Therefore,
following Keats's standpoint.
more
both
but uses the Roman
to the Greek
reigned. According
of his throne and
must
takes the god names
mythology
mythology,
spective l will eχplain Hyperion
golden
He
of Greek
We
from
names
paper, I don't differenciate Greek
both of them
mythology.
mythology
Roman
The Fall of Hyperion
12）
mythology.
Generally speaking,
ample,
Keats's Hyperion and
was
time the
of poetry and
music.
Another
from
theme
is Apollo,
or the apotheosis
the letter Keats wrote to Benjamin
uary 23, 1818.
Robert
Haydon,
We
understand
this
his artist friend, on Jan-
He says as follows:
. . . and
be
of Apollo.
one great contrast between
that the Hero
like Buonaparte,
fore-seeing God
them［Endymion
and Hyperion］will
of the written tale［Endymion］being
by circumstance;
whereas
mortal is led on,
the Apollo in Hyperion
being a
will shape his actions like one. （I, 207）
As this letter shows, Keats considered Apollo as the hero of Hyperion. This is
the same thing in The Fall, because Keats does not distinguishHyperion from The
Fall｡
By having chosen the two above-mentioned
had affirmed in the preface of Endymion
themes, he accomplished what he
and the fourth book of the work.
This
preface was dated on April 10, 1818 and states:
l hope l have
Greece,
and
not in too late a day
touched
dulled its brightness: for l wish
−106−
the beautiful mythology
to try once
more,
of
before l
Yukie Ando
bid it farewel ［SIC］
In the fourth book
of Endymion
dess of the moon,
Cynthia,
These
words
brother-in-law
the poet says to Endymion
" Thy
marries the god-
lute-voic'd brother will l sing ere long ”（774）.
reveal Keats's intention to write a poem
of Endymion.
who
"The
on Apollo who
beautiful mythology
becomes
of Greece ” gave
the
wings
to Keats's imagination.
2 The Degree of Completion
How
far could Keats complete
eosis of Apollo in Hyperion and
the themes
of the fall of Hyperion
The Fall ？ Both poems
ends at Book
Ill, 1. 136 （1. 136 has only one
1. 61. The
difference between
often pointed out, shows
Commedia
Divina
whole
and
of Dante
Comfnedia
word）.
themes.
50）. And
In Hyperion
The Fall stops at Canto II,
Milton and Divina
Besides such
a formal
we can say that Hyperion is infuluenced
like to examine
Hyperion
Hyperion
is, Paradise Lost is divided into Books
is divided into Cantos.
I would
are unfinished.
the influence of Paradise Lost of John
that The Fall is influenced by Divina Commedia.
detail. Now,
and the apoth-
the divisions of “ Book ” and “ Canto ”，as it is
Alighieri. That
tone of the poems
of the Themes
speaks
how
the
by Paradise Lost
Later l will explain this in
far these two
his anxiety
point, from
and
with
the apotheothis of Apollo is described, though
poems
his own
complete
the
mouth （I. 227−
halfway （III, 108 −36）.
Here l will quote the last lines:
At
Apollo
shriek'd;
-
and
lo!
from
all his
length
limbs
Celestial ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
(Hyperion,
At this point Hyperion breaks up. 0n the other hand,
Hyperion's figure is mainly
scription of Hyperion
told indirectly, through
consists of only a few lines:
−107−
III,
134 − 36)
in The Fall anxious
Moneta's mouth.
And
the de-
The Identity and Differencebetween Keats'sHyperion and The Fall of Hyperion
Anon
rush'd
His flaming
by
the
robes
And
gave
That
scar'd away
And
made
bright
Hyperion;
stream'd
a roar,
out beyond
as if of earthly
the meek
fire,
ethereal
their dove-wings
his heels.
hours
tremble:
on
he flared
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
(TheF all,
Here
The
with
his
Fall
as
Fall
stops.
own
mouth.
corresponds
the
until
of
According
Ill,
to
the
doesn't
Apollo
Hyperion,
the
Book
story
Nor
to
stories
tinues
The
I,
continue
dose
appear.
227.
fall
of
Hyperion
136
in
Hyperion,
advertisement
until
By
Therefore,
and
the
but
of
the
Hyperion
the
when
until
the
we
his
last
Apollo,
I,
227
Richard
of
these
the
in
feeling
line
consider
of
Book
publisher,
speaks
way,
apotheosis
only
II, 57−肘)
poems
story
The
The
con-
Fall.
Woodhouse，“The
10
poem［Hyperion］was
intended
to have
been
of equal
length
with
ENDYMIONバ
If this
is
ever,
true,
Hyperion
consists
of
but
has
has
only
529
lines
and
the
poems
stopped
at
the
whole
poem
clear
in
Keats's
mind.
ed
that
of
images
themes
in
consisted
and
conclude
structure
have
lines
wh01e、The Fall
both
934
would
or
merely
the
Neχt
about
4000
accomplished
about
the
main
l
of
an
will
about
eighth
beginning.
thoughts
examine
lines.
how
a
quarter
completion.
It is
had
Hyperion,
not
Keats
of
We
suspected
yet
been
that
his
apotheosis of Apollo.
The
other fallen Titans.
Saturn
It is the world of Greek
0f course, in this poem
value of things, and shows
hand,
characters of the poem
belongs to the genre of the classical epic, such
Iliad of Homer.
in The
his view
Fall the persona
and other
the
as
intend-
of the Themes
Hyperion is a pure story of blank verse to describe the fall of Hyperion
poem
cannot
formed
treated
the
poems.
3 Treatment
and
how-
are Hyperion,
mythology.
Apollo,
Saturn
In this sense the
as Milton's Paradise Lost and
Keats speaks his philosophy,
of life through
and the
the characters.
0n
judges the
the other
I ”（poet）enters the stage as well as Hyperion,
Titans. Concerning
the entry
−108−
of “ I ’≒ thisp oem
resembles
Yukie Ando
Dante's
The
Divina
Prelude
Commedia
of
William
of poetry
in
from
paradise
the
the story
but
these
to the
fall of
themes
factor
Hyperion
The
and
Fall,
he
he is not
must
narrate
merely
story
gods.
mortal
too.
man,
mensions
As
and
one
of
serving
Saturn,
“Moneta,
ae,
then
do
the
must
the
affirm
describe
and
the
both
part,
passing
her
sees
the influence.
it is he,
gods
a man,
objectively.
story
of the
the
who
The
And
he
must
story.
Be-
is in front
immortal
who
In
itself.
words,
with
a mortal,
between
motion
growth
In other
difference
is an
of Apollo.
the
interacting
of Apollo,
and
the humane
by
The
of the poet.
of time,
the apotheosis
and
goes
however,
growth
also influenced
and
through
the psychology
describe
of himself
poet
the apotheosis
This
the linear
with
as
his definition
begins. The
and
such
of Apollo. Therefore,
to narrate
and
epic,
affirms
there,
poem.
things:
but
gods
poet
role in the humane
only
figure
romantic
story
priestess
of the
two
changing
must
the
or
apotheosis
following
of immortal
He
the
essential
must
and
He
great
Fall
the
for Keats
himself
the immortal
The
a
a part
a storyteller,
the story
sides it is the
modern
of the fall of Hyperion
an
he
the
tell the fall of Hyperion
exemplify
both
and
the events,
however,
and
meets
only
enough
and
lines
Hyperion
plays
and
In
temple,
form
it was
poet （himself),
Fall
Wordsworth.
first eighteen
of the characters
In
belongs to
strictly a narrative
two
important
In
the
of the
Fall is not
and
gods
have
of
and
different
a
di-
disparity｡
means
enter
to conquer
the
this
difficulty
stage. A Latin
t.［moneo］,
the
mother
he
makes
Dictionary
of the Muses,
by
Moneta,
Lewis
a
and
a transl, of Gr.
priestess
Short
says:
A伍ﾉημoauvri｡”
This derives from Latin verb, れ○neo 。 Consulting the dictionary, m○neo
means:
be
the
poet
moneo .
the
. . to admonish,
admonisher,
mother
various
adviser,
of the
Muses,
things
he can
Or thou
Whose
my
warn,
instructor,
goddesses
understand
that thou may'st
l humanize
Making
warner,
Immortal
so that
Mortal,
advise,
sayings
comparisons
instruct,
and
teacher
of poetry.
aright,
to thine ear,
of earthly things;
might'st better listen to the wind,
language
is to thee a barren noise,
−109−
" Moneta
of Keats
In fact
as follows:
understand
teach.
she
as
well
teaches
will
as
the
The Identity and Difference between
Though
it blows
Keats's Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion
legend-laden
through
the trees.
（The Fall，11,卜6）
And
through
her the poet
Considering
thus, we
chosen Moneta
To
understands
must
say
as a mediator
summarize,
that it was
between
in Hyperion
whole
of the poet becomes
thoughts
of the gods
and
their agony.
suitable for the poet
to have
the gods and himself｡
themes
compliantly
the main
aspect of the development
pare the main
very
Keats's intended
the apotheosis of Apollo are adopted
growth
the world
theme.
of the fall of Hyperion
and
as they are, but in The Fall the
To
our regret we
of Keats's themes.
cannot
Neχt l would
see the
like to com-
of these fragments.
4 The
Main
Thoughts
of the Fragments
The primary motif of Hype行ofiappears in the following words of Oceanus:
.
That
.
. 'tis the
first in
beauty
eternal
should
be
law
first in
might:
（Hyperion,
II,
228−29）
and
. .
And
That
to
.
to
bear
envisage
is the
all naked
circumstance,
top
of
truths,
all calm,
sovereignty.
(Hyperion,
The
former
how
to deal with the progress.
who
tells“ A
makes
II,
203 − 05)
states the rule of the progress of the universe and
thing of beauty
the urn speak “ Beauty
The
former reminds
the latter shows
us of Keats as an aesthete,
is a joy for ever ”in the firstline of Endymion
and
is truth, truth beauty ”in Ode on a Grecian
Urn.
In Hyperion Keats combines beauty with might or power. According to him
beauty reigns over the world.
日O−
Yukie Ando
The latter presents us the concept
He
wrote
to his two
younger
of “ Negative
Capability ’≒ the
ideal of Keats.
brothers on December
2工, 1817, when
he published
his first collection of poems:
. . . it struck me,
what
pecially in literature &
mean
quality went
which
to form
Shakespeare
reason
doubts,
without
of Achievement
possessed
Negative Ca)ability, that is when man
certainties, Mysteries,
a Man
so enormously
is capable
es1
of being in un-
any irritable reaching after fact ＆
193）
（I,
Thus “ Negative Capability ” means
“uncertainties, Mysteries,
that man
can be perfectly calm
when
he is in
doubts. "
This attitude is connected with the “ disinterestedness of Mind ’≒ which, Keats
11
said, only Socrates and Jesus Christ possessed and he hoped
As the above,
in Hyperion
the power
of beauty,
" Negative Capability ”, and
“disinterestedness of Mind ” are told as the primary
0n
the other hand, in The Fall, as we
Keats as a human
ing words
being and
a poet and
to have himself, too.
the
motifs.
said before, the theme
the primary
is the growth
of
motif appears in the follow-
of Moneta:
“None
“But
Are
can
usurp
those
this height,
to whom
misery,
and
the
return'd
miseries
will not let them
that
shade,
of the world
rest. "
（The Fall, I, 147−49）
Yearning for“ those to whom
the miseries of the world / Are misery. and will
not let them rest” had been in Keats's mind since the time when
he stated in
Sleep and Poetry published in 1817:
Yes,
Where
I must
pass
l may
Of human
find
them
［these
the agonies.
joys］for
a nobler
life,
the strife
hearts:
（Sleep
一且↓−
and
Poetry,
123−25）
The Identity and Difference between
Sympathy
with human
After mentioning
Keats's Hyperion and The Fall of Hy）erion
agonies is found in many
of his poems.
the association with nature by the phrase,
essence ”, he refers to the dignity of love and
"A
fellowship with
friendship as things more
charming
than the association with nature:
. . . the crown
Is made
Upon
of love
the
and
forehead
friendship,
of these
and
sits high
of humanity.
(Endymion,
After this, Keats states the strength of the power
love between
manity.
a man
Endymion
and
a woman
or the goddess
ideal woman
（Cynthia）or
Indian maiden
manity
Ode
the real woman
to a Nightingale and
Ode
that
hesitates in choosing “ love ’≒ the
（an Indian
as Cynthia.
maiden）. But
at last the
In other words love for hu-
ist. In The
this connection, in this poem
conspicuously. In
and
play in society ？’≒ and
“ l want
should
the aspect of a human-
other words
mental action become
Keats tellswhat
writing in the letter, " what
It is this that makes
and pity with the world, and
Keats exemplifies impressively
humanism
by his understanding
It is one of Keats's ideals to enter
being, feel sympathy
Fall it appears
vanishes, and
on a Grecian Urn are backed
mortality of humanity.
live by l）ve for humanity.
theme
" love ” is not
leads to ideal love.
the inner world of the human
been
This
journey' of love for an ideal woman,
of the moon. He
turns out to be the same
of the suffering and
beauty
of love.
nor love for a special person, but love for hu-
describes Endymion's
is, Cynthia
I, 800 − 02)
the admiration
the characteristics. In
he was thinking every day and
a poet be ？”，“what role does
to do some
the difference between
good
to the world
Hyperion
for
and The
through
has
a poet
poetry.
Fall in terms
of
and structure。
Finally l would
like to mention
cribed the agony
of Saturn
the agony
of Hyperion
whose
the agony
of the apotheosis
and
the agony
Keats described.
In Hyperion he des-
other fallen Titans （disappointment
fall is near at hand （uneasiness
and
and
grief）.
anxiety）, and
of Apollo （suffering to “ die into life”）. Above all,
this suffering to " die into life” had
a significant meaning
一112
−
for Keats.
When
he
Yukie Ando
calls this world “ The
vale of Soul-making
’≒ the
agony
of this world plays an im-
portant part in making soul.
12
On
the other hand, in
the agony
goddess
of Saturn
The Fall the anguish
and
Hyperion.
Keats
of Moneta
is described as well as
relates us the endless anguish
with deep sympathy:
Then
Not
By
pin'd
by
human
an immortal
sickness
a constant
Can
no
put
no
end
death
saw
l a wan
sorrows,
It works
To
but
which
change,
bright
blanch'd
kills not;
which
to; deathwards
was
face,
happy
death
progressing
that visage;
(The Fall,
And
in The Fall Keats also expresses the human
the torture of the poet climbing
the immortal
the torture of the weak
man
bearing
I, 256−61)
suffering has two
aspects: first,
steps, that is, the agony
life, which is similar to the suffering of Apollo who
profound
of the
the agony
dying into
dies and lives again; second,
of the stillgod
and
godesses in
grief:
Without
But
my
The
load
own
weak
stay
or prop
mortality,
of this eternal
I bore
quietude,
(The
Fall
I, 388−90)
In these poems Keats presents the suffering of the gods and godesses with deep
understanding and sympathy.
This proves that Keats gave a profoundly original
meaning to the Greek mythology.
Notes
Introduction
I Cf.
E. De
1961),
Selincourt （ed.),
p. 515，the
The
Poems
of John
notes of The Fall of Hyperion
一鵬一
Keats,
8 th ed. （London:
and p. 582, Addenda-Notes.
Methuen,
The
2 Cf.
Identity and Difference between
Walter
and
Jackson
Bate, John
Keats's Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion
Keats （London:Oxford
University
Ian Jack, Keats and the Mirror of Art （Oxford: The
Press,
Clarendon
1967）, p. 392
Press, 1967）, p.
269.
Cf. The
following letters of Keats.
（ed.），The
Letters of John
University
I could
l am
study
his
say Tom
countenance
his voice and
3［18
me
think you
would
some
四］to
be
His identity presses upon
and
although l intended to have
knew
Richard
began ［sic］フ（To George
and
on with Hyperion
for writing lately -
l must
（To
George
Keats,
and Georgiana
of
Dilke, 21 Sep-
1818）（I, 387）.
1818］that my
on a little with it Dec.］“l
of my
next
but it will
took out my
poem ［Hyperi-
writing s0 little to you came
. . my
Georgiana
-
large poem
upon
（Hyperion］which
Keats, 18, 22 &
31 December
for to tell the truth l have
is
1818）
copied this Fragment
5 Hyperion
published in Lamia，Isabella,
was
by
Taylor
and
was added
not been in great
wait for the sp ［r］ing to rouse
14 February
Woodhouse
1820
time to
18）.
not gone
vertizement
c. W.
27 October
' I went
but the thought
cue
July
so all day
to ease myself
before you left England ［on 24 June
time to get into the vein again."［22
（II, 12, 14 &
me
given some
cogitating on the Characters of satum
Woodhouse,
and l could not get on. "［31 Dec.］“.
4 “ l have
Rollins
Mass.:Harvard
plunge into abstract images
feebleness. " （Italics mine）（To
'the fall of Hyperion
go on with it -
scarce
Edward
better.
any
l not at that very instant ［have］been
Dec.］“l
take
Hyder
369）.
Ops？”（Italics mine）（To
subject
are from
3 rd ed. （Cambridge,
obliged to write, and
tember 1818）（I,
and
was
obliged to go out -
alone l am
“Might
All quotations
1814一1821,
Press, 1976）.
“l wish
that
Keats,
Hessey
me
up a little."
1819）（II, 62）.
on 20 April 1819.
in
The Eve of St. Agnes
Fleet-Street of London
and
and
Other Poems
in
the follwoing
ad-
to it:
“If any apology to 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 particularrequest, and contrary to the wish of the author.
poem
was intended to have been of equal length with ENDYMION,
The
but the reception
given to that work discouraged the author from proceeding."
Crossing out this passage in the gift copy
bor，Keats
and
then
and Amy
6
二.
（To
wrote
above
beneath
Lowel,
. I have
Fanny
“l have
it: “ This is none
the last sentence,
to Burridge Davenport,
of my
Brawne,
given
Miltonic inversions
all day
employ'd
-
" This is a lie. " Cf.
John Keats （Boston: Houghton
been
doing
a Hampstead
l was
W.
m
neigh-
at the time, ”
J. Bate,
pp.
650−51
Mifflin, 1925）, 11, 424.
in a very abstr［a］ct Poem
. ‥."
（Italics mine）
25 July 1819）（11, 132）.
up
Hyperion ［The
in it -
Fall of Hyperion］.
Miltonic verse cannot
一山一
. .
be written
there were
but in an
too many
artful 0r
Yukie Ando
rather artist'shumour.
to be kept
and
up.
put a mark
now
Upon
＆then
properly. "（To
Cf, Miriam
be interesting to you
χ to the false beauty
voice of feeling.
Every
I wish to give myself up to other sensations.
It may
my
to pick out some
proceeding
from
soul 'twas imagination
J. H, Reynolds,
21 September
Allott（ed.）, The Poems
art, and
I cannot
there is a Miltonic intonation -
English ought
lines from
make
one
Hyperion
II to the true
the distinction -
But I cannot
make
the division
Longman,
1970）, pp.
1819）（II, 167）.
of John
Keats （London:
655−56.
1 Another
Version of Keats'
'Hyperion', Bibliogra）hical and
Historical Miscellanies of the
Philobiblion Society（vol. iii, 1856）.
8 Hyder
Edward
Rollins （ed.）, The Letters of John Keats，1814-1821
Mass.:Harvard
9 Jack
University
Stillinger（ed.）， The
Press of Harvard
are from
10 H.
W.
endon
（Cambridge,
Press, 1958）, II, 12.
Poems
University
of John
Keats （Cambridge，Mass.: The
Press, 1978）, p. 103.
All quotations
Belknap
of Keats's poems
this book.
Garrod （ed.）， The Poetical Works
of John
Keats,
2 nd
ed. （Oxford:
The
Clar-
Press, 1958）, p. 190.
Cf. This book.
p. 206, notes 5.
11 “ Very
have
few
men
ever
have been influenced
that thousands
can remember
arrived at a complete
disinterestedness of Mind:
by a pure desire of the benefit of others . . . I have
of people
but two
never heard of have
Socrates and
very
few
no doubt
had hearts comp［l］etely disinterested: I
Jesus
”（To
George
and Georgiana
Keats,
19 March 1819）（11, 79一80）.
12 “ The
common
cognomen
vale of tears' from
God
and
taken
of this world
which
to Heaven
Call the world if you
use of the world." （To
we
among
the misguided
are to be redeemed
-
What
Please 'The
George
superstitious is 'a
a little circumscribe［d］straightened
vale of Soul-making'
and Georgiana
−↓15
and
by a certain arbitary interposition of
Then
you
notion ！
will find out the
Keats, 21 April 1819）（II,101 − 02）.