period of madness and illusion; while the third part, "The Golden
Supper"--suggested by a story of Boccaccio, and written in maturity--
is put in the mouth of another narrator, and is in a different style.
The discarded lover, visiting the vault which contains the body of
his lady, finds her alive, and restores her to her husband. The
whole finished legend is necessarily not among the author's
masterpieces. But perhaps not even Keats in his earliest work
displayed more of promise, and gave more assurance of genius. Here
and there come turns and phrases, "all the charm of all the Muses,"
which remind a reader of things later well known in pieces more
mature. Such lines are -


"Strange to me and sweet,
Sweet through strange years,"


and -


"Like to a low-hung and a fiery sky
Hung round with RAGGED RIMS and burning folds."


And -


"Like sounds without the twilight realm of dreams,
Which wander round the bases of the hills."