Hyperion (Book 3) - John Keats
The Radiant Ascendancy of a New Reign
Thus in alternate uproar and sad peace,
Amazed were those Titans utterly.
O leave them, Muse! O leave them to their woes;
For thou art weak to sing such tumults dire:
A solitary sorrow best befits
Thy lips, and antheming a lonely grief.
Leave them, O Muse! for thou anon wilt find
Many a fallen old Divinity
Wandering in vain about bewildered shores.
Meantime touch piously the Delphic harp,
And not a wind of heaven but will breathe
In aid soft warble from the Dorian flute;
For lo! ’tis for the Father of all verse.
Flush everything that hath a vermeil hue,
Let the rose glow intense and warm the air,
And let the clouds of even and of morn
Float in voluptuous fleeces o’er the hills;
Let the red wine within the goblet boil,
Cold as a bubbling well; let faint-lipp’d shells
On sands, or in great deeps, vermilion turn
Through all their labyrinths; and let the maid
Blush keenly as with some warm kiss surprised.
[Public Domain: Excerpt from John Keats’s “Hyperion” Book 3; lines shortened for brevity.]
In Book 3 of John Keats’s “Hyperion,” the action shifts from the despondent councils of the fallen Titans to a stirring invocation of Apollo’s rise. While the first two books depict the lament and turmoil among the dethroned deities, Book 3 widens its scope to celebrate the dawn of a new order. Keats’s grand, Miltonic style remains intact, though the tone moves closer to optimism, focusing on the promise of Apollo’s ascension.
We first see how the Titans’ bleak state contrasts with the vibrant, almost ecstatic celebration of Apollo. The poem emphasizes natural imagery—roses, morning clouds, and delicate shells—signaling a renewed vitality in the world, as though it resonates with Apollo’s burgeoning power. This pictorial richness anchors the narrative in the Romantic tradition, illustrating the intimate bond between the cosmic shift in divine hierarchy and the blossoming of the natural world.
As Apollo emerges, he embodies the future, representing inspiration, knowledge, and poetic harmony. Keats uses the figure of Apollo not only to depict a mythological changing of the guard but also to suggest an inner transformation: the poetic imagination achieving a higher state of awareness. The references to Delos, the “chief isle of the embowered Cyclades,” and the Delphic harp evoke classical mythology, linking Apollo’s story to age-old traditions of prophecy and artistic exaltation.
In this finale, the poem underscores a central Romantic preoccupation: that endings and beginnings are inextricably entwined. The Titans’ twilight paves the way for Apollo’s dawn, hinting that generational shifts—however painful—can foster creation, renewal, and growth. Although “Hyperion” is an unfinished epic, Book 3 captures Keats’s vision of a cosmic metamorphosis, inviting readers to contemplate how the passage from one era to another, whether in mythic or human spheres, can carry both mourning and immense wonder.
Key points
• Marks a decisive turn from the Titans’ defeat to Apollo’s rise
• Celebrates the power of poetic and divine inspiration
• Uses vivid natural imagery to signal a cosmic rebirth
• Concludes Keats’s epic exploration of succession and renewal
• Exemplifies Romantic ideals: transformation, imagination, and human sympathy
