"Ode to Psyche” – By John Keats

Note: Psyche was a beautiful mortal that Eros, the god of love, fell in love with. Her mortality was an issue and drama ensued. Zeus ultimately resolved the situation by granting her immortality so that the two could be together (after much toil on part of Psyche)

“Ode to Psyche”

Keats poem is a tribute to the goddess, Psyche. He expresses his loyalty to Psyche calling her “Father than phoebe’s sapphire-region’s star”, and “o brightest” Keats exemplifies his devotion by saying, “I will be the priest.” As well as many other promises.  As a minor goddess, Keats believes Psyche does not get enough praise. She deserves the temples, altars, and choirs dedicated to the major gods. Keats promises to provide these for her. He will show his everlasting loyalty by being, "Thy voice, thy lute, thy pipe, thy incense sweet..."

The word ‘Psyche’ is Greek for soul. It is hence understandable why Keats wrote about a woman so beautiful the god of love fell in love with her – very blatant parallel with Keats’ love for Fanny Brawne.

Before the stanzas of the poem speaker comes across a couple, one a winged boy the other Psyche. Main idea is the speaker’s pleasure in the imagination and the soul, this psyche. And wants to worship  Psyche with his mind and imagination, direct all energy towards this.

Themes:

-       The worship of Psyche

-       Moving beyond boredom and indolence to worshiping creativity, the human soul

-       Fame and worshipers does not equal worth and importance

The poet imagines that he has either seen or dreamed that he has seen the winged goddess Psyche while he was wandering in a forest. She lay in the grass in a grotto made of leaves and flowers in the embrace of Adonis. 

He addresses her as the "latest born and loveliest vision far / Of all Olympus' faded hierarchy!" Although she is fairer than all other goddesses, there is no temple to her with an altar and a choir of virgins to sing hymns to her. No one plays a musical instrument in her honor nor offers incense to her. No shrine or grove is sacred to her. No oracle or priest serves her. Keats therefore will be her choir, her lute, her incense, her shrine, her grove, her oracle, and her prophet. He will be her priest and build a temple in his mind to her. Thoughts will serve for pine trees and among them will be her sanctuary which his imagination will decorate with flowers of every variety. In her sanctuary there will be a "bright torch" and a window open at night through which her lover, Eros, may enter. “latest born” of “Olympus’s faded hierarchy” in lines 24,25 refers to the fact that Psyche was never worshiped as a goddess because this myth is much more recent than most myths. That is what compels Keats’s speaker to dedicate himself to becoming her temple, her priest, and her prophet, all in one.

So, the main idea of the poem is that speakers love and adoration for the soul and imagination, the expression of this love, importance of Psyche to Keats, ways in which we worship things we love.