Adonais

Adonais is a long elegiac poem written by Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1821 as a tribute to his friend and fellow poet John Keats, who had died of tuberculosis the previous year. The poem is divided into 55 stanzas and is written in the form of a pastoral elegy, a genre popular in classical literature that mourns the death of a shepherd or other rustic figure. Shelley's Adonais is an elaborate and highly emotional lament for Keats, whom he compares to the Greek god Adonis, a symbol of beauty and youth who died prematurely. In the poem, Shelley portrays Keats as a victim of the harsh criticism and neglect he received during his lifetime, and as a martyr to his art. The poem begins with a description of the mourners gathered around Keats' grave, and then moves into a series of vivid and often surreal images that evoke the poet's life and death. Shelley draws on a wide range of literary and mythological references, including the Bible, Greek mythology, and the works of Shakespeare and Milton. Throughout the poem, Shelley expresses his own grief and sense of loss, as well as his anger and frustration at the injustice of Keats' fate. He also reflects on the nature of poetry and the role of the poet in society, arguing that Keats' work represents a new and vital form of poetic expression that has been unfairly dismissed by his contemporaries. Adonais is widely regarded as one of Shelley's greatest works, and as a landmark in the history of English poetry. Its themes of mortality, beauty, and the power of art to transcend death have resonated with readers for generations, and its elegiac tone and lyrical language have made it a classic of Romantic literature.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.