Shelley and Keats

I'm going to have to do double time since I forgot to write about Shelley last week, but I think some interesting comparisons can be drawn between Keats and Shelley, those two amazing Romantic poets. First, I was surprised to hear that Keats died at 25. That gave me a little taste of my own mortality, since I'm turning 25 this March. To be so young and to already have become such an influence on poetry and language says a lot about Keats. In a way, his continued fame has gained him that immortality that he so sought after.
Both of these poets' works evoked a sense of deep sorrow in me after reading them. I have a constant vision in my head after reading Ozymandias of a sneering statue lying forgotten in a vast desert. While there is definitely much symbolism that can be drawn from this poem, the imagery itself stands out in my mind more than anything else. I agree with everyone that the picture of nature standing triumphant over kings and tyrants reigns supreme in this poem.
As far as Keats' poetry goes, a sense of melancholy overwhelms my senses when reading it. It's as though he was constantly searching for this truth and beauty that he writes of, but anytime he came close enough to catch it it slipped out of his hands. In spite of this, I think he believed that the pursuit of these two ideals was always worthwhile, even if never fully attained.