The Dove
by John Keats
by John Keats
I HAD a dove and the sweet dove died;
And I have thought it died of grieving:
O, what could it grieve for? Its feet were tied,
With a silken thread of my own hand's weaving;
Sweet little red feet! why should you die -
Why should you leave me, sweet bird! why?
You liv'd alone in the forest-tree,
Why, pretty thing! would you not live with me?
Why, pretty thing! would you not live with me?
I kiss'd you oft and gave you white peas;
Why not live sweetly, as in the green trees?
Why not live sweetly, as in the green trees?
This poem has no title.
It has been taken the first verse to title it.
Keats’
poem I Had a Dove represents Keats’ own selfish love and his lack of
understanding of the complex elements that combine to create the healthy
love he craves.
The dove Keats’ refers to, is symbolic of the goodness
and peace Keats’ has found in his object of affection, which in
capturing for his own, Keats unwittingly destroys in his selfish care
‘Its feet were tied, with a silken thread of my own hands weaving’.
The
poem represents Keats’ own struggle with love in an attempt to
understand it so that he might succeed in loving unselfishly and
completely, a fate which he often describes as eluding him in many of
his poems.
Keats recognizes the fact that he is to blame for the death
of his beloved dove, but throughout the poem struggles to comprehend why
his love was not enough for the bird to survive ‘I kissed you oft and
gave you white peas, why not live sweetly, as in the green trees?’
The Sweet Dove Died
by Barbara Pym
The Sweet Dove Died is a novel by Barbara Pym, first published in 1978. The title is a quotation from a poem, "I Had a Dove", by John Keats.
The novel was begun during the 1960s, after Pym's previous novel, An Unsuitable Attachment had been rejected by several publishers. The Sweet Dove Died was also rejected, and Pym substantially rewrote it after her friend Philip Larkin suggested improvements. It was not, however, published until after her "comeback" of the late 1970s.
The plot is generally believed to have been inspired by Pym's brief romance with an American antique dealer, Richard Roberts, known to his friends as "Skipper".
As with all Pym's fiction, the novel contains many literary references, notably to works by Keats, John Milton and Henry James.
The novel was begun during the 1960s, after Pym's previous novel, An Unsuitable Attachment had been rejected by several publishers. The Sweet Dove Died was also rejected, and Pym substantially rewrote it after her friend Philip Larkin suggested improvements. It was not, however, published until after her "comeback" of the late 1970s.
The plot is generally believed to have been inspired by Pym's brief romance with an American antique dealer, Richard Roberts, known to his friends as "Skipper".
Synopsis
Leonora Eyre, an attractive and elegant, but essentially selfish, middle-aged woman, becomes friendly with antique dealer Humphrey Boyce and his nephew James. Both men are attracted to Leonora, but Leonora prefers the young, good-looking James to the more "suitable" Humphrey. While James is away on a buying trip, Leonora discovers to her annoyance that he has been seeing Phoebe, a girl of his own age. Leonora makes use of Humphrey to humiliate Phoebe, and turns out a sitting tenant in order that James can take up a flat in her own house. She does this in an apparent attempt to control his life. While abroad, the bisexual James has begun a relationship with an American, the amoral Ned, who later follows him to London. Ned prises James out of Leonora's grasp, only to reject him for another lover. James attempts a reconciliation with Leonora, but she refuses to give him a second opportunity to hurt her, and settles for the admiration of the less attractive Humphrey.As with all Pym's fiction, the novel contains many literary references, notably to works by Keats, John Milton and Henry James.
It's a melancholy novel about an older woman, a younger man who she fancies & an older man who fancies her. I didn't find Leonora a very sympathetic character. Of course, I was much younger when I read it. I may have more sympathy for a middle-aged woman now!
The poem always strikes me as sad & naive. The speaker is so unaware. As Sting so memorably sang, If you love someone, set them free. I wonder if he had Keats in mind when he wrote that?
The book, the poem & the song are all entwined for me.
If you truly love somebody, you will be able to sacrifice being with them for the better of the person. You don't force them to stay with you.
How does Keats portray the narrator in 'The Dove'?
John Keats' poem 'The Dove' highlights the anxieties of an individual when he or she loses an object of value. In this case, the narrator loses the 'sweet dove' he had cared for as 'the sweet dove died'. However, there is an implication within the short poem that the dove passed away, not due to any fault of its own, but as a result of the narrator's overbearing and possessive behavior. 'The Dove' can be seen as a moralistic message reminding readers of the dangers of removing things from their natural environment. Alternatively, 'The Dove' may be perceived as a metaphor for women – doves are often symbols of peace that require their being protected. In a similar fashion, women require safety from men, but this sense of honour on the part of the man can become destructive through extremities.
The very first verb of the poem is present in the opening 'I had a dove', the word 'had' serving to suggest a sense of possessiveness on the part of the narrator since he discloses the fact that he owned the dove. The narrator's controlling characteristics are present in other events that are recounted in the poem: he 'tied' the dove's 'feet', an image that may remind readers of the securing of manacles, and he kissed the dove 'oft', the time phrase indicating that the narrator's actions were relentless, without pause. The narrator does not give the dove a gender and rather addresses the dove as 'it', thereby objectifying the possessor of his affections. Though the narrator genuinely believes he acted out of love by feeding the dove 'white peas' and removing the dove from the 'tree' where it 'lived alone', Keats' use of irony is indicative of the dangers of obsessive behavior. Instead of thriving, the dove died.
Although the 'silken thread' the narrator used to tie the dove's 'red feet' may be seen as delicate, it is a possible symbol for the fragility of nature, and how one action that strays from the norm may disturb the balance. A 'silken thread' can be easily removed, yet the 'sweet dove' did not manage to accomplish this, accentuating the fact that the dove, once captured, was completely under the narrator's control. Doves are typically portrayed as pale birds, yet here, its feet are 'red', a colour often used to insinuate danger, or passion. In this case, the danger may be viewed as the narrator's passion; Keats' use of colour is rather suggestive. Furthermore, the form of the poem is representative of the overriding themes of passion and control – the piece is presented as a single, unbroken stanza, rather like the narrator's complete control. Keats employs an alternate rhyme scheme for the first eight lines of the poem, and then ends with a heroic couplet. This rhyme scheme is identical to that used in sonnets, which are typically seen as love poems, lending strength to the view that it is a composition discussing the dangers of intense affection.
However, though Keats used irony, imagery and a rigid rhyme scheme to indicate that the narrator is forceful, there is also the suggestion that the narrator is to be pitied for his misdirection. He mourns 'what could it grieve for?' when reflecting on the death of the dove, the unanswered question suggesting that, without the dove, the narrator's life will be barren and empty. Furthermore, the narrator removed the dove from the 'forest tree' where it lived 'alone', perhaps believing that the dove would prefer to have company as opposed to living in isolation. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that the narrator lived alone, and desired the feeling of being needed, culminating in his action or capturing and pampering the dove.
Nevertheless, though Keats paints an emotive picture of a man doting upon a dove, there is still the indication that the narrator was highly unstable. The word 'sweet' is repeated on numerous occasions in 'The Dove', and repetition is often viewed as a symbol for insanity. Though the narrator, whose love was fatal, is to be pitied, it must be remembered that defenseless dove was the true victim, robbed of its liberty.
The very first verb of the poem is present in the opening 'I had a dove', the word 'had' serving to suggest a sense of possessiveness on the part of the narrator since he discloses the fact that he owned the dove. The narrator's controlling characteristics are present in other events that are recounted in the poem: he 'tied' the dove's 'feet', an image that may remind readers of the securing of manacles, and he kissed the dove 'oft', the time phrase indicating that the narrator's actions were relentless, without pause. The narrator does not give the dove a gender and rather addresses the dove as 'it', thereby objectifying the possessor of his affections. Though the narrator genuinely believes he acted out of love by feeding the dove 'white peas' and removing the dove from the 'tree' where it 'lived alone', Keats' use of irony is indicative of the dangers of obsessive behavior. Instead of thriving, the dove died.
Although the 'silken thread' the narrator used to tie the dove's 'red feet' may be seen as delicate, it is a possible symbol for the fragility of nature, and how one action that strays from the norm may disturb the balance. A 'silken thread' can be easily removed, yet the 'sweet dove' did not manage to accomplish this, accentuating the fact that the dove, once captured, was completely under the narrator's control. Doves are typically portrayed as pale birds, yet here, its feet are 'red', a colour often used to insinuate danger, or passion. In this case, the danger may be viewed as the narrator's passion; Keats' use of colour is rather suggestive. Furthermore, the form of the poem is representative of the overriding themes of passion and control – the piece is presented as a single, unbroken stanza, rather like the narrator's complete control. Keats employs an alternate rhyme scheme for the first eight lines of the poem, and then ends with a heroic couplet. This rhyme scheme is identical to that used in sonnets, which are typically seen as love poems, lending strength to the view that it is a composition discussing the dangers of intense affection.
However, though Keats used irony, imagery and a rigid rhyme scheme to indicate that the narrator is forceful, there is also the suggestion that the narrator is to be pitied for his misdirection. He mourns 'what could it grieve for?' when reflecting on the death of the dove, the unanswered question suggesting that, without the dove, the narrator's life will be barren and empty. Furthermore, the narrator removed the dove from the 'forest tree' where it lived 'alone', perhaps believing that the dove would prefer to have company as opposed to living in isolation. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that the narrator lived alone, and desired the feeling of being needed, culminating in his action or capturing and pampering the dove.
Nevertheless, though Keats paints an emotive picture of a man doting upon a dove, there is still the indication that the narrator was highly unstable. The word 'sweet' is repeated on numerous occasions in 'The Dove', and repetition is often viewed as a symbol for insanity. Though the narrator, whose love was fatal, is to be pitied, it must be remembered that defenseless dove was the true victim, robbed of its liberty.
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