John Keats: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

On Seeing a Lock of Milton's Hair

John Keats

“On Seeing a Lock of Milton's Hair” as printed in The Poetical Works of John Keats (1884).

John Keats: Collected Lyrics Text 27 1884 · historical text
Public domainSong lyricsRomantic
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Poetical Works of John Keats, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

Chief of organic numbers!

Old Scholar of the Spheres!

Thy spirit never slumbers,

But rolls about our ears

Verse 2

Forever and forever!

O what a mad endeavor

Worketh He,

Who to thy sacred and ennobled hearse

Would offer a burnt sacrifice of verse

And melody.

How heaven-ward thou soundest!

Live Temple of sweet noise,

And Discord unconfoundest,

Giving Delight new joys,

And Pleasure nobler pinions;

O where are thy dominions?

Lend thine ear

To a young Delian oath—aye, by thy soul,

By all that from thy mortal lips did roll,

And by the kernel of thy earthly love,

Beauty in things on earth and things above.

I swear!

When every childish fashion

Has vanished from my rhyme,

Will I, gray gone in passion,

Leave to an after-time,

Hymning and Harmony

Of thee and of thy works, and of thy life;

But vain is now the burning and the strife;

Pangs are in vain, until I grow high-rife

With old Philosophy,

And wed with glimpses of futurity.

For many years my offerings must be hush'd;

When I do speak, I'll think upon this hour,

Verse 3

Because I feel my forehead hot and flushed,

Even at the simplest vassal of my power,

A lock of thy bright hair,—

Sudden it came,

And I was startled when I caught thy name

Coupled so unaware;

Yet at the moment temperate was thy blood—

I thought I had beheld it from the flood!

Credits

Written by John Keats

Words by John Keats. Historical text published in The Poetical Works of John Keats (1884); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Poetical Works of John Keats (1884), “On Seeing a Lock of Milton's Hair”

Every text in this 1884 collected edition is by John Keats (1795-1821), who died more than 200 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide; the edition carries a Wikisource PD-old determination.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

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Retrieved 2026-10-27. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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