Endymion (poem) facts for kids
Endymion is a very long poem by a famous English poet named John Keats. He was a "Romantic" poet, which means he wrote about feelings, nature, and imagination. Keats wrote this poem in 1817, and it was published in a book in 1818.
The poem starts with one of the most well-known lines in English poetry:
- A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
What is Endymion?
About the Poem
Keats called Endymion a "Poetical Romance." It's divided into four big parts, called "Books." Each part has about a thousand lines of poetry!
The poem is written in a special style called "rhymed couplets." This means that every two lines at the end of the poem rhyme with each other. For example, if the first line ends with "tree," the next line might end with "see."
The Story Behind Endymion
The story in Endymion comes from an old Greek myth. It's about a shepherd named Endymion who falls in love with the moon goddess. Keats used this ancient tale to create his own long and imaginative poem.
How People Reacted to Endymion
When Endymion was first published, some people didn't like it very much. They criticized it quite strongly.
Some of Keats's friends, like the poet Shelley, thought this criticism made Keats very sad. They even believed it might have contributed to his early death from tuberculosis when he was only 25 years old.
However, most experts today don't think the criticism was the main reason for his early death. They believe his illness was the cause.
