Ode to Psyche ; by John Keats

Ode to Psyche is a poem by John Keats written in spring 1819. The poem is the first of  his 1819 odes, which include "Ode on a Grecian Urn" and "Ode to a Nightingale". "Ode to Psyche" is an experiment in the ode genre, and Keats's attempt at an expanded version of the sonnet format that describes a dramatic scene

. What is an Ode? An ode is the most exalted and perhaps most intense form of lyric poetry. Lyric poetry is poetry which concerns itself with the expression of individual feelings. This makes it the archetypal form of poetry for Keats as he was concerned with the intensity of emotions, the importance of feelings and the importance of the individual's experience. Rather than being linked by narrative development the ode is connected by patterns of imagery and close development of thought and feeling. The word 'ode' is derived from an ancient Greek word meaning to 'sing' or 'chant'. As well as the passionate development of an important theme, the ode is also characterised by diverse and quite complex stanza forms. Whenever, Keats referred to a poem as an ode it was a clear signal that he felt passionate reverence for the subject.

Who was Psyche? A representation of the soul in Greek Mythology and sometimes represented asa butterfly. She was a nymph who attracted the love of Cupid but who left her, angry at her disobedience. She desperately sought her lover all over the earth and had to carry out superhuman tasks. Eventually Jupiter, at Cupid's entreaty, consented to their marriage and Psyche was brought to heaven. The tale has often been seen as an allegory of the soul's journey through life and its final union with the divine after suffering and death.