Poem Analysis - Of Late Two Dainties Were Before Me Placd

An Introduction to Keats's Dilemma

John Keats's "Of Late Two Dainties Were Before Me Plac'd" presents a speaker torn between two attractions, personified as the "Bag-pipe" and the "Stranger." The poem explores the speaker's indecision and the agonizing experience of having to choose between them. The tone begins with a sense of reverence, quickly transitions into conflict, and ends with resignation. The speaker's internal struggle is palpable, making the poem a microcosm of human desire and the painful reality of limited choices. The mood fluctuates between longing, frustration, and final acceptance of loss.

Whispers of Romantic Longing

While specific historical or social contexts are less overtly relevant to this poem, it is important to consider Keats as a Romantic poet. The Romantic era emphasized intense emotion, the sublime, and the individual's experience. "Of Late Two Dainties Were Before Me Plac'd" embodies this focus through the speaker's passionate and deeply personal dilemma. The idealized depiction of both "dainties" and the exaggerated emotions the speaker feels reflect the Romantic sensibility.

The Agony of Choice and Loss

One prominent theme is the agony of choice. The speaker is "oblig'd to part" with both attractions, unable to reconcile their desires. This inability highlights the human condition of often facing mutually exclusive choices. Another theme is the fleeting nature of pleasure. The speaker's initial delight quickly devolves into frustration as they realize the impossibility of possessing both "dainties." This connects to the Romantic concept of transient beauty and the melancholy that accompanies it. Finally, the theme of internal conflict is central. The poem is driven by the speaker's back-and-forth attraction to the Bag-pipe and the Stranger, illustrating the turmoil of divided desires.

Images of Sound and Silence

The poem employs vivid imagery, particularly through auditory details. The "soft Bag-pipe mourn'd with zealous haste" and "Sigh'd; rueful again the piteous Bag-pipe went" evoke specific sounds and emotions. The Bag-pipe symbolizes a familiar, perhaps even nationalistic, comfort, with its mourning suggesting a lament for something lost. The "Stranger," in contrast, is associated with silence and a "head on bosom bent," implying a melancholic and mysterious allure. The Stranger's sighs represent unspoken desires and hidden depths. The interplay of these sounds and silences underscores the speaker's vacillation between the known and the unknown, the familiar and the exotic.

A Game of Chance

The final line, "Mum chance art thou with both oblig'd to part," introduces the metaphor of a game of "Mum chance," an old English game of dice. This symbolizes the arbitrary nature of fate and the lack of control the speaker has over their own desires. The speaker is not making an active choice, but rather, is subject to the random outcome of a game. This suggests a feeling of powerlessness and resignation to forces beyond their control. The poem seems to be saying that sometimes, no matter how much we desire something, circumstances conspire to deny us our happiness. Was the speaker unable to choose, or were they never truly given a choice in the first place?

Final Thoughts: The Bittersweet Reality

In conclusion, "Of Late Two Dainties Were Before Me Plac'd" captures the bittersweet reality of desire and the painful necessity of choice. The poem masterfully uses imagery and a fluctuating tone to convey the speaker's internal conflict and eventual acceptance of loss. The concluding metaphor of "Mum chance" adds a layer of fatalism, suggesting that some outcomes are predetermined and beyond our control. The poem's significance lies in its honest portrayal of the human heart's capacity for conflicting desires and the acceptance of inevitable limitations.