# Song: Spirit Here That Reignest! explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by John Keats.

## What happens

The speaker invokes a multifaceted spirit that reigns, pains, burns, mourns, laughs, quaffs, and dances, expressing a deep emotional and ecstatic communion with this entity, culminating in a Bacchanalian flush.

## Themes in this chapter

### Mythology and Classical Reference

The poem invokes Momus (god of mockery) and Comus (god of revelry), embedding classical figures in a lyrical invocation.

### Sorrow and Melancholy

The spirit is described as one that 'mournest' and the speaker is 'passion-struck' into 'pale dominions,' evoking melancholy.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The speaker who addresses the spirit with reverence and ecstasy.

### Bacchus

Implied through the Bacchanal blush and reference to the Banquet of Comus.

### Momus

Mentioned as the figure whose elbow is nudged in the glee.

### Comus

Referenced as the host of the Banquet of Comus.

## Key lines

> Spirit here that reignest! Spirit here that painest! Spirit here that burnest! Spirit here that mournest!

O spirit that rules here, that causes pain, that burns with passion, that mourns deeply.

_The speaker addresses the spirit with a series of contrasting attributes, establishing its complex nature._

> Spirit, I bow My forehead low, Enshaded with thy pinions.

Spirit, I humble myself, my head bowed and covered by your wings.

_The speaker shows submission and reverence, seeking shelter under the spirit's wings._

> Spirit, I look All passion-struck Into thy pale dominions.

Spirit, I gaze, overwhelmed with emotion, into your colorless realms.

_The speaker is deeply moved, peering into the spirit's domain, which is described as pale or lifeless._

> Spirit here that laughest! Spirit here that quaffest! Spirit here that dancest! Noble soul that prancest!

O spirit that laughs here, that drinks deeply, that dances, noble soul that frolics!

_The spirit's joyful and celebratory aspects are invoked, contrasting with earlier mournful tones._

> Spirit, with thee I join in the glee A-nudging the elbow of Momus.

Spirit, I join you in the merriment, playfully nudging the elbow of Momus, the god of mockery.

_The speaker participates in the revelry, engaging with the classical figure Momus in a familiar, jesting manner._

> Spirit, I flush With a Bacchanal blush Just fresh from the Banquet of Comus.

Spirit, I blush with the ecstatic flush of a Bacchic reveler, newly arrived from Comus's feast.

_The speaker's blush signifies intoxication and divine frenzy, linking to the rites of Bacchus and the masque of Comus._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters/song-spirit-here-that-reignest
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_14_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_14_se/chapters