Andy Leonard's Revised Canonball Paper

From the early image of Eros (Cupid/love) physically entwined with Psyche, in what appears to be a post-coital state, it is clear that John Keats in his poem entitled, “Ode to Psyche,” is intrigued or enamored of the poetic art duplicating or replicating that image. He is at once making the case for and illustrating in his choice of topic, as well in execution of the poem itself – through its very conception - what Poetry is. A poem - this ode (a poem of love and adoration) itself - is the temple for the worship of the union of intellect and passion. It fundamentally explains or lays the groundwork for this poetic form, which resulted in what the critics see as the near perfect realization or manifestation of the art. In this poem Keats functions as critic (as defined by Matthew Arnold) in pointing to the artist at work along the crest of the dialectic while, at the same time, he engages in creation as an artist. This dual role of artist and critic is precisely the division and union of emotion and intellect that is the subject of the poem. Keats’s ability to beautifully stitch together these roles is ample reason for its addition to the syllabus for future British Romantic Literature courses.

Keats, in the beginning of his poem, expresses surprise at finding Eros and Psyche together in the wood, “Surely I dreamt to-day, or did I see the winged Psyche” (5-6). His inability to identify whether he is in a dream is the result of thoughtlessly or unconsciously wandering through the forest to which he has returned as a source of inspiration. At this juncture he so far doesn’t recognize Psyche.

What he perceives are two personages at the dawn of a new day, “tender eye-dawn aurorean love” (20). He has come to know Eros (worshipping of love) before this day, but only in this new light is Psyche revealed, “The winged boy I knew; but who wast though…his Psyche true!” (21-23). Having now identified Psyche he begins to play the role of critic in his rumination on this previously unexamined union.

The second stanza begins with Keats’ consideration of the nature of classic mythology in contrast with the pragmatism and elegant beauty of the mind. Keats asserts that Psyche is lovelier than, “all of Olympus’s faded hierarchy” (25). As a critic – at a place further back along the wave an artist rides - Keats observes how the wave has moved forward. In moving ahead as an artist, Keats is leaving behind an older, now faded hierarchy. For the balance of the stanza Keats appears to be attacking this former, less-enlightened order of worship (of Art). His list of items, such as, “altar,” (29) “incense,” (32) and “chain swung censer,” (33) related to the “temple” (28) can hardly be thought to solely pertain to the gods of mythology. These sacramental objects are transmuted into symbols of the power of imagination as they were in days gone by and before one was able to more powerfully and more beautifully create art through conscious use of the power of the mind.

In his third stanza - utilizing a stanza structure identical to the second- Keats takes the power stripped from the old authorities and vests it in himself as Poet (artists), as illustrated through his return to the use of “I” (43). He perceives the beauty and importance of Psyche and he has come to know her. Keats’s intimacy with and worship of the power of thought allows him to “sing,” by his “own eyes inspired” (43). Having been inspired by Psyche, Keats requests to be her “choir, and make a moan upon the midnight hours” (44-45). Thus, the progeny from the union intellect and Eros (which might be more readily understood as the romantic imagination) is Keats’ own, “Ode to Psyche.”

This poem, being product of the romantic imagination, results in the construction of (and functions as )a new temple, “in some untrodden region” (51) of the mind. The “branched” (52) thoughts Keats refers to are new ideas formed from the “pleasant pain” (53) – the birth of “Ode to Psyche.” This act of creation returns the critic and artist to the work at hand and bring the poem full circle for the reader. In its closing lines, the poet enables the reader to grasp the sheer beauty of a poem as it is conveyed in something like his description of pine trees, but also forcing one to remember the poet’s desire for his readers to let go of corporeal things. Upon fulfilling this task Keats says that, “in the midst of this wide quietness a rosy sanctuary will I dress” (59). In this sacramental process Keats encourages the reader to engage the “working brain” (60) and thereby invites them to join Eros and Psyche in “delight” (64) recognizing that “shadowy thought can win” (65). The journey into romantic imagination will work out just like the mythological story of Eros and Psyche and, in doing so, immortalizes poetry.

Keats’s ability to create this seamless and deceptively simple poem and act of criticism is praiseworthy. To claim that Keats is the first person to advocate a unity of intellect and passion would be an unfair blow to poets before his time. However, Keats’s mastery in recognizing and artistically drawing out this connection makes his “Ode to Psyche” an important addition to the syllabus. As one engages with the text, the ability to understand Keats’s claims allows for greater and deeper appreciation of not just Keats or of poetry, but of the role of art in all facets of life.