Ode on Indolence

poetry by Keats

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Ode on Indolence, poem in six stanzas by John Keats, written in May 1819 and published posthumously in 1848.

The chief event of the ode is a morning vision of three figures in Classical dress, passing before the poet as if they were ancient drawings on a spinning urn. The poet recognizes them as Love, Ambition, and Poesy, and their fleeting presence sadly reminds the poet of his recent idleness.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.