Don't Judge

A revelation, a discovery—these are often celebratory moments, instances of jubilant outburst. Encountering something new and worthwhile is a cause for excitement; yet, in John Keats’ poem “On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer” the reaction is subdued—his is a far from scream-it-from-the-mountaintop epiphany. Contained within a sonnet, his praise for Chapman’s translation of Homer is just that—contained.
Keats’ composes his piece in a highly controlled manner, in stately reverence; yet, he praises Chapman for “speak[ing] out loud and bold,” for these two characteristics not present in his own work (8). His lauding does not follow the perceived form of the inspiration—Keats’ poem is quiet and reserved. It seems a personal revelation, a whisper overheard, a private reveling, not a work that calls out as Chapman’s interpretations did to him. Keats internalized those apparently highly audible epic tales and released something softer, but still clearly enamored with the original; he does not gush aimlessly, but his tribute is no less impassioned, just more focused.
The poetic reflection on Chapman’s version of a classic storyteller may not be “bold” either—its form may not allow for that—but the depth of feeling that it expresses is not reduced because of it (8). The structure is not daring as “bold” might connote, having, as it does, a strict rhyme scheme and metered words as sonnets must, but the lack of risks is no indication of ambivalence (8). Sometimes, just the discovery is bold enough in of itself, just the unearthing of something fresh is adventurous in its own right. The aftershock, the reply to such findings need not also be as free, as unencumbered, and, sometimes, the only answer possible, like that of “Cortez” (11) “and all his men” to their encounter of the “Pacific” (12), is “silen[ce],” is a reined in display that has taken the time to ponder the subject before blurting out an opinion (14).
It is a natural inclination to share what one has discovered, to expose others to a personal revelation. Keats’ rendering of this tendency in “On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer” does not seem to be an instantaneous one; his divulgence in the penchant is calculated and well thought out. It reflects an exuberant text in a calmly exuberant way, making a collected, neat remark out of an overflowing excitement.