This is my renewed rewritten and reviewed rendition of CAT 3, ‘On first looking into Chapman’s Homer”
On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer
BY JOHN KEATS
Much have I travell’d in the realms of gold,
And many goodly states and kingdoms seen;
Round many western islands have I been
Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold.
Oft of one wide expanse had I been told
That deep-brow’d Homer ruled as his demesne;
Yet did I never breathe its pure serene
Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold:
Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
When a new planet swims into his ken;
Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes
He star’d at the Pacific—and all his men
Look’d at each other with a wild surmise—
Silent, upon a peak in Darien.
‘On First Looking Into Chapman’s Homer’ seems to be the literary representation of the epiphany experienced by John Keat’s, caused by Chapman’s translation of Homer’s Work. Keat’s use of traditional structure signifies the transformation experienced by him, and he uses striking visual imagery used to portray the grandiose nature of his exploration and discovery. Together, these two elements play a crucial role in communicating the massive impact Chapman’s Homer had on John keat.
Whilst reading the poem, two qualities of the poem come to mind. Firstly, the poem is a sonnet, which is typical of Homer’s work. This is indicative of the literary inspiration bequeathed upon Keats through the realization of Homer’s true prowess. We can also tell that structure is important through Keat’s assertion of meter, as seen in his reluctance to let the user include the extra syllables ‘-ed’ in words like “travell’d” and “deep brow-d”. The effect of this literary inspiration, catalyzed by Chapman, is also clearly distinguished by Keat’s usage of the structure. The poems can be split into two parts, an octet, and a sestet. The line ’till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold’ lies in between these two different rhyme schemes, which suggests to the reader Keat uses the structural shift to represent his transformation. It becomes clear that the octet and the sestet are representative of his perception of Homer before and after Chapman respectively.
Keat’s use of metaphor and visual imagery also plays a big role in describing the magnitude of his discovery to the reader. The use of the words ‘realms of gold’ and ‘pure serene’ in the first and last line of the octet are examples of this. They are used to paint a picture in the reader’s mind, allowing them to visualize the vast luxurious expanses experienced by Keats, and then understand that even after experiencing so much, he was not able to experience the true power of Homer’s works. This is also used by Keat’s to establish his reverence towards Homer’s works, and emphasizing their unattainable nature specific to himself. During the sestet, however, Keat’s line ‘Then I felt… of the skies’ and ‘when a new….into his ken’ makes use of visual imagery to compare the impact of his discovery on himself to the discovery of a planet by an astronomer. He also alludes to his discovery being alike the discovery of the Pacific, in the lines ‘or like stout Cortez……-and all his men’.
Keat’s usage of the structural shift paired with vivid visual imagery to impose upon the reader ideas of discovery and exploration, in reference to his discovery of Homer’s true power.