John Keats: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

To Chatterton

John Keats

“To Chatterton” as printed in The Poetical Works of John Keats (1884).

John Keats: Collected Lyrics Text 58 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

O Chatterton! how very sad thy fate!

Dear child of sorrow—son of misery!

How soon the film of death obscured that eye,

Whence Genius mildly flashed, and high debate.

How soon that voice, majestic and elate,

Melted in dying numbers! Oh! how nigh

Was night to thy fair morning. Thou didst die

A half-blown flow'ret which cold blasts amate.

But this is past: thou art among the stars

Of highest Heaven: to the rolling spheres

Thou sweetly singest: nought thy hymning mars,

Above the ingrate world and human fears.

On earth the good man base detraction bars

From thy fair name, and waters it with tears.

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), “To Chatterton”

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

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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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