PoetrySelected 20 Oct 2026
On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer
A poem by John Keats.
English · English
John KeatsBefore 1821
English translation prepared automatically for the Brief. Original sources and creator credits remain the reference.
Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold, And many goodly states and kingdoms seen; Round many western islands have I beenWhich 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 sereneTill 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 menLook'd at each other with a wild surmise-- Silent, upon a peak in Darien.
The work and its creator
Explore the original at PoetryDB ↗
Creator: John Keats
Nationality / cultural background: English
Work / edition: Before 1821
Historical public-domain poem. Verse and line breaks retained.
In the source: On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer
Selected for the Brief on 20 Oct 2026. This date records our selection, rather than when the work was created.
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