.A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER
BY JOHN KEATS
Born:
October 31, 1795
London, England
Died: February 23, 1821
Rome, Italy A Romantic poet
The last to be born and the first to die of the Five Great Romantic Poets :
William
Wordsworth, S.T. Coleridge, P.B. Shelly, Lord Byron, John Keats
A Thing Of Beauty Is A Joy
For Ever
An extract from his longer poem ‘Endymion’
‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever
Its loveliness increases, it will
never
Pass into nothingness, but will
keep
A bower quiet for us…’
The poet
begins the poem with a beautiful line that has become a quotable quote:
‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’
John Keats was a lover of beauty. He wrote all of his poetry in search of
a permanent beauty that always keeps on soothing a suffering human heart, that
keeps on increasing the joyful experience of us for a prolonged period of
time.
•
According to the poet, a beautiful object is
always a source of joy to us.
•
It is a permanent joy for all.
•
Its loveliness increases with every view of it. The
more we watch it, the more beautiful it becomes for us.
•
With the help of our imagination we keep on adding something new and more beautiful to it
every time we watch it.
•
It will never prove useless to us as other material
things lose their attraction very soon. We become fed up with watching those
material things.
•
But we never feel bored watching the thing that is
really beautiful for us
“ A bower
quiet for us, and a sleep…
Full of sweet dreams, and
health, and quiet breathing....”
•
Nature is a
treasure of beautiful objects. It always keeps something new for us to offer.
•
For example, in the scorching heat of the sun,
people need some shade to relax.
•
Nature always keeps a bower (group of shady trees)
ready to offer shade and shelter to us from the scorching heat of the sun
•
If someone, who needs rest, may sleep under such a bower and enjoy a sound and peaceful sleep in which he could enjoy sweet dreams
and feel relaxed, more energetic, and healthier with quiet breathing. It gives
him peace of mind and shade from the heat of the sun.
•
In the same way, a thing of beauty makes us
peaceful, quiet, and healthy.
•
When we are tired of the worries and tensions of
life, we can remember any beautiful object of nature and forget about any
bitter reality.
•
The beautiful object makes us feel comfortable and
we may have a sound sleep.
•
In this way it also makes us healthy.
“Therefore, on every
morrow, are we wreathing
A
flowery band to bind us to the earth,
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all
the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways, made for our
searching…”
Word-meanings: wreathing: surrounding, band: some rope type
the thing to tie something; Spite: in spite of, despondence: state of
hopelessness, inhuman: Here it means terrible, dearth: lack,
deficiency, gloomy: full of
sadness, over darkened: mysterious
•
Our life is not smooth. At one time, a person is
happy, at another time he or she may be full of hopelessness and sadness.
•
There is a terrible shortage of good nature.
•
We do not know at what time a tragic event may take
place.
•
Mysterious are the ways of God!
•
We have to bear all the bitter realities of life.
•
In spite of the worries and tensions of life, we have to
begin our life anew every morning
with full energy and power.
•
This is possible if we keep ourselves bound to this beautiful planet, i.e. the Earth by the beauties of nature.
•
Therefore, we
create a chain of attachments to the
beautiful objects of nature.
•
It seems to
be like that of a beautiful cover or garland worn around our necks.
•
It keeps us bound to the world that is full of all
types of oddities enough to make our life miserable!
“. .. yes in spite of all,
Some shape of
beauty moves away the pall
From our dark
spirits. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and
young, sprouting a shady boon…”
Word-meanings: dark spirits: the hearts full of sadness, sprouting:
growing, shady boon: providing shade that becomes helpful, pall: a cover that
is spread on a dead person, here it symbolises the cover of sadness.
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
With the green world they live in; and clear rills
That for themselves a cooling covert make
‘Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk- rose blooms;
Word-meanings: 1. sprouting: producing, coming out 2. rich with full
of but here it means looking beautiful 3. boon: a blessing, 4.
daffodils: flowers, 5. rills: small streams, brooks or streams 7.
covert: hidden areas in the jungle such as bushes, 8. brake:
hindrances like marshy land in a jungle 9. sprinkling: less
number,10. fair musk-rose: a kind of
white rose, 11. blooms: flowers
•
The poet further says that in spite of all the bitter
realities of the world, the beauty of Nature removes the pall (cover) of
sadness from human hearts.
•
Then he gives examples of such beautiful objects
that help human beings to come out of their state of depression and sadness.
•
These are the sun, the moon, the trees old as well
as the young that provide shade to various animals of the jungle in the hot summer.
•
These
provide shelter to animals like sheep and also to so many other animals of
the jungle under their green shade.
•
There are beautiful springs (rills) full of clear
water, which make a shadow of bushes and many small trees and plants over
themselves to keep their water cool for the creatures to drink.
•
They do so to save themselves from the scorching
heat of the sun in this way.
•
There is undergrowth or bushes that protect many
flowers like beautiful musk roses from the heat of the sun.
•
Usually such bushes are found in the marshy land of a
jungle.
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms
We have imagined for the mighty dead;
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.
Word-meanings: doom: God’s final judgment on human beings, mighty:
powerful; immortal drink: a drink called nectar (‘Amrit’ drunk by gods);
heaven’s brink: the edge of heaven
•
Sometimes we pray to God for great rewards to be given to the souls of the great men who are dead now.
We feel immense happiness while praying to God for them.
•
Then the poet says that there are tales of the old
times that we have heard or read These also make us happy.
•
The poet calls them the fountain… the very source of
immortal drink that pours from heaven.
•
Immortal drink is said to be the favourite drink of
gods in Hindu mythology. It is a
source of permanent life and joy.
•
Here it signifies that God creates all beautiful
objects for all the creatures including human beings on the earth.
•
It is a source of permanent joy to the distressed
souls on the earth.
Thanks!!!
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