The vale of soul making

As Keats grew sicker, his psychological pain focused more on his love for his Hampstead neighbor, Fanny Brawne, and his despair at leaving her, and less on his poetic legacy. “I cannot exist without you,” he wrote to Fanny. “I could be martyr’d for my Religion—Love is my religion—I could die for that—I could die for you.”

“He is gone—he died with the most perfect ease … the approaches of death came on—Severn—S—lift me up for I am dying—I shall die easy—dont be frightened—thank God it has come.”

Desired these Words to be engraven on his Tomb Stone: Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water. 24 February 1821. [sic—Keats actually died on February 23.]