In his unfinished epic poem Hyperion, John Keats presents the fall of the Titans, who are being defeated and replaced by the Olympian gods, led by Jove. There is one Titan who still remains unfallen: Hyperion. But he, too, is at risk, threatened by Apollo.

In the first section of the poem, Saturn and Thea lament their fall, and Saturn especially mourns the loss of his identity and power. He longs to recover his throne, but he cannot. Fate has spoken, and he has no choice. Then the scene shifts to Hyperion in his domain. He still has his power, and he is filled with wrath at what has happened to his fellow Titans. He stomps and shakes everything and then cries out. He laments at the horrors all around him. Saturn has fallen, and he realizes that he, too, may be destined to fall. He wonders if he will have to leave his home, his “calm luxuriance of blissful light” and his “crystalline pavilions.” He imagines his empire deserted and dark and dead.

Then Hyperion further laments. “Even here, into my centre of repose,” he says, “The shady visions come to domineer.” In other words, there is no more rest for Hyperion. Even his bright empire no longer provides him with peace. He knows what has happened to the other Titans, and he cannot escape that knowledge. It dances before him in “shady visions” that control his mind. These visions, these thoughts of the fallen Titans that he may soon be fated to join, insult him, blind him to his current luxury, and “stifle” his pride. He cannot sit back and relax and enjoy himself. The Titans' fall is both a threat and an insult, and it occupies his consciousness, blinding him to all pleasure.

These lines, then, reveal Hyperion's troubled state of mind. He is uncertain, preoccupied, and perhaps even rather frightened. He seems to realize that his time is limited, that he will fall along with his companions, that it is his fate. He is already losing, starting with his peace of mind.