POETRY HELP PLEASE??????????????

[Haz1976554]

What's going on in these lines? No clue :/

For all this came a ruin: side by side
They were enthroned, in the even tide,
Upon a couch, near to a curtaining
Whose airy texture, from a golden string,
Floated into the room, and let appear 20
Unveil'd the summer heaven, blue and clear,
Betwixt two marble shafts:--there they reposed,
Where use had made it sweet, with eyelids closed,
Saving a tythe which love still open kept,
That they might see each other while they almost slept;
When from the slope side of a suburb hill,
Deafening the swallow's twitter, came a thrill
Of trumpets--Lycius started--the sounds fled,
But left a thought, a buzzing in his head.
For the first time, since first he harbour'd in 30
That purple-lined palace of sweet sin,
His spirit pass'd beyond its golden bourn
Into the noisy world almost forsworn.
The lady, ever watchful, penetrant,
Saw this with pain, so arguing a want
Of something more, more than her empery
Of joys; and she began to moan and sigh
Because he mused beyond her, knowing well
That but a moment's thought is passion's passing bell.
"Why do you sigh, fair creature?" whisper'd he: 40
"Why do you think?" return'd she tenderly:
"You have deserted me;--where am I now?
Not in your heart while care weighs on your brow:
No, no, you have dismiss'd me; and I go
From your breast houseless: ay, it must be so."
He answer'd, bending to her open eyes,
Where he was mirror'd small in paradise,
"My silver planet, both of eve and morn!
Why will you plead yourself so sad forlorn,
While I am striving how to fill my heart 50
With deeper crimson, and a double smart?
How to entangle, trammel up and snare
Your soul in mine, and labyrinth you there
Like the hid scent in an unbudded rose?
Ay, a sweet kiss--you see your mighty woes.
My thoughts! shall I unveil them? Listen then!
What mortal hath a prize, that other men
May be confounded and abash'd withal,
But lets it sometimes pace abroad majestical,
And triumph, as in thee I should rejoice 60
Amid the hoarse alarm of Corinth's voice.
Let my foes choke, and my friends shout afar,
While through the thronged streets your bridal car
Wheels round its dazzling spokes."--The lady's cheek
Trembled; she nothing said, but, pale and meek,
Arose and knelt before him, wept a rain
Of sorrows at his words; at last with pain
Beseeching him, the while his hand she wrung,

[kindScholar275]

It's one of those things from the days when a poem used to be the size of a novel and is called Lamia, by John Keats. It's based on an ancient Greek legend, like a lot of poetry of that time. These folks studied classics and wrote for a literary market of other folks who studied classics.

The legend of Lamia: she was a queen, a woman and like many women in those legends fair game for the oh so male Greek gods. Zeus, took a fancy to her (along with a few others, Leda was another) and she became his lover. Problem was Mrs Zeus, Hera the Queen of the Gods was a bit annoyed by it so she killed Lamia's children and turned Lamia into a monster who eats children. Another Greek God, Hermes has been told of a very hot nymph and thinks that sounds a good deal so goes to look for her. He meets Lamia who tells him where to find his nymph. He's grateful so she says:

“I was a woman, let me have once more
“A woman’s shape, and charming as before.
“I love a youth of Corinth—O the bliss!

So he turns her back to a woman and she finds the youth, Lycius, they are going to get married but at the wedding someone else tells who she really is.

What you have is a small snip from the beginning of part 2. Before that is one verse says their love is so perfect love itself was jealous of them.

But this love is also what will ruin them "came a ruin"....he describes them side by side, in love which is their mutual ruin, they are laid on a couch "where use had made it sweet...so they had made love and fallen to sleep together....love kept a tythe" there eyes were still slightly open, they were probably just dozing content and Keats says love was taking a tax on the eyes so they could still see each other? .... trumpets, etc, His attention is taken by the commotion.

she began to moan and sigh
Because he mused beyond her, knowing well
That but a moment’s thought is passion’s passing bell.


..."a moments thought is passion's passing bell" ....she's jealous when his attention elsewhere, maybe insecure about her new happiness after all she went through. She'd been a monster but wasn't to begin with and not again now, but as a monster she was shunned and fears taht still? Insecurity from bad experience....she asks him to confirm his love., lots of folks with insecurity do that. He does and that strengthens his own commitment to her. It's a real love wrangle doomed by the circumstance of her past which will be made known later.

That's just a rough idea. Now you read the whole with that in mind and think and put it in your own words as you see it.

The language in it's not easy, folks spoke and wrote differently then, not easy on our modern ears but with a bit of work you can get the storyline and see what's going on...latch on to what you do understand and don't try to hack through word for word.