Endymion

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Endymion, a poem in four books, by Keats, written 1817, published 1818.

The poem tells, with a wealth of epithet and invention, the story of Endymion, ‘the brainsick shepherd-prince’ of Mount Latmos, who falls in love with Cynthia, the moon, and descends to the depths of the earth to find her. There he encounters a real woman, Phoebe, and falls in love with her. She turns out to be none other than Cynthia, who, after luring him, weary and perplexed, through ‘cloudy phantasms’, bears him away to eternal life. With the main story are woven the legends of Venus and Adonis, of Glaucus and Scylla, and of Arethusa. The poem includes in Bk I the well-known ‘Hymn to Pan’, and in Bk IV the roundelay ‘O sorrow’.

The allegory appears to represent the poet pursuing ideal perfection, and distracted from his quest by human beauty. The work was violently attacked in the Quarterly Review and in Blackwood's.

Endymion, a novel by B. Disraeli, published 1880.

The novel is set in the period between 1830 and the early 1850s and describes the political and social scene of that time; the antagonism between Whig and Tory; the power of the great political hostesses; the Tractarians; railway mania; the Chartists; and the story of Louis Napoleon as ‘Florestan’. There are many other identifications: Lord Palmerston appears as the engaging Lord Roehampton; Bismark as Ferroll; Cobbett and Cobden combine in Job Thornberry; Thackeray (in revenge for his Codlingsby) is satirized as St Barbe.

Endymion , in Greek mythology, young shepherd, loved by Selene (the moon). In one version of his legend, he asked Zeus for immortality and perpetual youth. Zeus consented on the condition that Endymion remain eternally asleep. The English poets Lyly, Drayton, and Keats all wrote poems based on the legend.

Endymion a remarkably beautiful young man, loved by the Moon (Selene); well-known tradition claims that he had fifty daughters by Selene. According to one story, he was put in an eternal sleep by Zeus for having fallen in love with Hera, and was then visited every night by Selene.

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