O golden-tongued Romance with serene lute!
Fair plumed Syren! Queen of far away!
Leave melodizing on this wintry day,
Shut up thine olden pages, and be mute:
Adieu! for once again the fierce dispute,
Betwixt damnation and impassion'd clay
Must I burn through; once more humbly assay
The bitter-sweet of this Shakespearian fruit.
Chief Poet! and ye clouds of Albion,
Begetters of our deep eternal theme,
When through the old oak forest I am gone,
Let me not wander in a barren dream,
But when I am consumed in the fire,
Give me new Phoenix wings to fly at my desire.
-John Keats (1795-1821)
"On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again"
Exactly three years ago, (March 17th, 2009) I read this poem for my American Lit I class, but I had no idea how much of an impact this poem would have on my life. This poem gave me my namesake, Phoenix. Not only did this poem spur a name change, but also an attitude change. I can't explain why, but after reading this over and over again, I felt more free, yet powerful. Just thought I should share. What, if any, poems have changed your attitude?
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