This was written by John Keats on January 31, 1818, in a letter to a friend which
also contained the poem "Hence burgundy, claret, and port." The "God"
here referenced is Apollo, whom Keats honors in many of his poems, including:
This poem is sometimes combined with "Hence burgundy, claret, and port" into a longer version called "A draught of sunshine".
God of the meridian
God of the meridian!
And of the east and west!
To thee my soul is flown,
And my body is earthward press'd:
It is an awful mission,
A terrible division,
And leaves a gulf austere
To be fill'd with worldly fear.
Aye, when the soul is fled
Too high above our head,
Affrighted do we gaze
After its airy maze--
As doth a mother wild
When her young infant child
Is in an eagle's claws.
And is not this the cause
Of madness?--God of Song,
Thou bearest me along
Through sights I scarce can bear;
O let me, let me share
With the hot lyre and thee
The staid philosophy.
Temper my lonely hours
And let me see thy bowers
More unalarmed! * * *
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