Passion with Profession: Exploring John Keats as a Poet-Physician

Abstract

Poetry has played pivot in healthcare system of the world as an alternative to medicine to heal the mental anguish of the readers.as well as the writers. It has immense impact on healing of the hurts of the readers. The power and potential of the poetry in palliative and hospice care is well proven. It has proven a panacea to both the patient and physicians in an ebullient way. The poetic therapy has been used by the experts in psychiatry to heal the angst, anguish, hurts of the minds of the people. Through poetry, mental health and peace of mind can be maintained with pace immeasurable. The waves of passion that runs through poet’s sensibility, soothes the senses of the readers. Poetry reading, writing and listening casts good therapeutic effects. Poetry provides peace, calmness, and tranquilly to the minds of the readers by elevating mood in distress and duress. Studies show that poetry therapy has proven a boon to patients suffering from serious ailments and to augment their emotional resilience and brings joy in their life. Our brains are electrified with rhyme and rhythm of the poetry to give emotional reaction to joy and sadness both. Like sweet melody of music, poetry heals our emotional hurts. The metaphors embellish the poetic lines with magical brilliance, and they glitter with astute meaning and message. Diction plays a very emphatic role in discerning poet’s leanings. Reflection, perception and attachment are interwoven in diction so inextricably that they turn poet’s mouthpiece, and roar and rave with perfect resonance to poetic experiences. The paper, however, pinpoints poetry’s indefinable role to heal mental stress, trauma, and agony and to maintain good mental health well.  We will examine some poetic utterances of great romantic poet and physician John Keats and its therapeutic effects. We will also observe how the John Keats’ poetry radiates beams of healing and can play multifaceted role in healthcare.