Like Aly mentioned before, Shelley blames the harsh criticism of John Keats' work for his untimely death. This is an intriguing conclusion because it is akin to an idea or concept being detrimental-- the idea that Keats was an unsuccessful poet. In the preface, Shelley opens with an excerpt from Moschus:
(TRANSLATION) "Poison came, Bion, to thy mouth-- thou didst know poison. To such lips as thine did it come, and was not sweetened? What mortal was so cruel that could mix poison for thee, or who could give thee the venom that heard thy voice?"
He is comparing the contemptuous reviews, the idea of inferiority, to the poison that killed Keats. This conclusion is strengthened in that Keats "didst know poison" (he was familiar with reviewers) and it was certainly NOT sweetened.
So often people forget how an idea- an intangible entity with no measure- can cause men to fall and civilizations to crumble. Shelley reminds us of the power of impression and thought, and how men wield them against each other.
I think this quotes form Moschus is a very powerful indication of how influential words can be. The words of harsh critics led to Keats's death, but the power of Keats's words lives even today. By talking about them, Shelley perhaps makes the critics' words more lasting because otherwise I would study Keats without the knowledge that his work was criticized. Now I look for things I don't like about Keats's poetry which shows the influence of words that men have on each other.
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