Poem 4 A Thing of Beauty
Poem 4 A Thing of Beauty
Poem 4 A Thing of Beauty
thorough reading of the same. Using value points from your self-reading and class discussions
in addition will complete them.)
Poem 4
John Keats was a British Romantic poet. Although trained to be a surgeon, Keats decided to
devote himself wholly to poetry. Keats' secret, his power to sway and delight the readers, lies
primarily in his gift for perceiving the world and living his moods and aspirations in terms of
language.
THEME: Beauty, in different forms, is a perpetual source of joy ,soothes our spirits, removes
sadness from our lives, giving us hope and happiness.
Main Points:
> Based on a Greek legend, the poem is an excerpt from 'Endymion : A Poetic Romance’.
Endymion, a beautiful young shepherd and poet who lived on Mount Latmos, had a vision of
Cynthia, the Moon Goddess. The enchanted youth resolved to seek her out and so wandered
away through the forest and down under the sea.
> According to the poet, a beautiful thing is a constant source of joy. Its loveliness only
increases.
> It gives sweet dreams and peaceful sleep, fine breathing and good health. Hence , a boon to
all.
> We are surrounded, at times, by dejection and disappointment in life. Ignoble qualities in
others make our life gloomy and miserable resulting in suffering and pain. A thing of beauty
removes the gloom (sadness) from our spirits.
> The sight of nature such as- the sun, the moon, young and old trees shading innocent sheep,
clear streams of water, daffodils (a flower), musk-rose and forest thickets -make our lives sweet,
soothing and happy.
> This beauty is also experienced in the grandeur of the dooms that we have imagined for our
powerful dead forefathers - Doom-refers to the ruins of the great monuments or deeds of the
legendary heroes.
- The incessant beauty of nature,noble heroes, lovely tales is pouring unto us from heaven’s
brink.
Meaning ... A thing of beauty is a perennial source of joy. It never diminishes, and its appeal
seldom wanes. Like an eternal source of ebullience, it soothes our nerves, makes our place of
living joyful, and fills us with beautiful dreams during our sleep. Like a reinvigorating balm, it
makes us healthy, blissful.
Meaning ...Living on earth is not a bed of roses. Life often gets mired in sorrows, frustrations,
and despair. In order to dispel such dark clouds of doom, the earth has its oasis. The myriad
things of beauty that the earth is dotted with are like garlands of flower that bind us to the earth.
Without these, life will be barren and insufferable. These beautiful objects provide us with the
much-needed respite and solace.
Meaning ...Sadly, many of the beautiful things on earth play hide-and-seek with us. This is rather
tragic. However, they reappear and we can again bask in their bliss. The glow of sun, the moon
is always beautiful. The young, old trees make a shade for innocent, sheep offering us great
delight. The daffodils blossom in the green of nature. In the middle of forest, ferns grow,
beautiful with musk - rose plant in bloom interwoven. The clear water of small streams makes a
cool hiding place against the heat of season. It provides a shelter against the summer heat.
The power and awe of the Nature's pang of destruction is inevitable. We have all heard and
experienced the inexorable dance of gloom, doom and destruction. It is an integral part of the
life on earth. However, the fountain of life and happiness never dries up.There is beauty even in
the ruins of magnificent monuments of the past, the noble heroes who sacrificed their lives for
the good of others. We have all heard stories of regeneration, joy, and optimism. This is
because the Heaven pours an unending stream of nectar onto the earth, to sustain life, vitality
and happiness for us all.
Rhyme Scheme: aa bb cc
Metaphor: Heaven's brink, Bower quiet, Sweet dreams, Flowery band, Unhealthy and over
darkened ways, The pall, Dark spirits. Endless fountain of immortal drink.
Images and Symbols: All the senses are involved---- bower, flowery band, the sun, the moon
Trees old and young, green world, musk-rose etc.
Questions:
Answers:
Questions:
(i) What is rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose?
(ii) What is the meaning of grandeur?
(iii) Which ‘lovely tales’ are referred to here?
(iv) What comes to us from the heaven's brink?
Answers:
Answer.(a) The poem is 'A thing of beauty’ and the poet is John Keats.
(b) The things of beauty mentioned in these lines are the magnificent ruins that still reflect the
splendour of their past, the stories celebrating the glory of our powerful ancestors, which we
have read or heard.
(c) The poet uses the image of an endless fountain' coming down to us from heaven. According
to him, nature and other beautiful things around us are like a gift from God, which give us infinite
delight and Joy.
(d) The immortal drink here refers to beauty, in all respects, as it gives us joy that is everlasting,
one that will never come to an end.
Question.3. According to Keats, what spreads the pall of despondence over our spirits? How
is it removed ?
Answer. John Keats says that pain and suffering are a part of life. We suffer from sadness, dark
spirits, scarcity of human values among people, disappointments in life. Still, we can find hope.
The hope and motivation come from nature, heroic people , and remove the pall of
despondence from our spirits. The beautiful sights, tales of heroism give us inspiration to
continue the journey of life.
Question 6. What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings?
Answer. Human beings suffer from hopelessness and sadness. Life’s struggles, frustrations
often makes us hopeless and grim. We at times also suffer due to the self-centred and wicked
nature of others. In spite of all our troubles and sufferings, we are able to derive pleasure from
our surroundings, and are motivated by the beautiful stories of our mighty, noble heroes.They
help us shed our gloom, give us a glimmer of hope, and make us love life amidst all troubles.
Question 10.. What is the endless fountain and what is its effect?
Answer. Here beauty has been referred to as an endless fountain', which is an eternal source of
motivation, an elixir of life and a precious gift from heaven. It gives us infinite pleasure and
delight, and motivates us to continue our journey of life. Although human life is given a mortal
span, there are innumerable things of beauty that are an immortal , everlasting source of joy,
inspiration for all human beings.
Question. 11. What images does the poet use to describe the beautiful bounty of the Earth ?
Answer. The poet uses the image of an endless fountain, which showers bounties on Earth. He
calls this an 'immortal drink’ from heaven. The sun, the moon, the trees, the daffodils, the lush
green forests and streams, the lovely tales of noble people- all reflect the beautiful bounties
which God has given us.
Question 12. .What does the line, "Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to
earth suggest to you?
Answer. We weave a pretty band which binds us with our life on Earth. Here beautiful and
pleasant things - in nature, human relations , dreams and actions- have been referred to as
flowery bands. It is only those things which have beauty of some or the other kind that bind us to
this Earth, or in a way, keep us going. Every beautiful thing is like a band that ties us to this
earth as it makes us want to live and enjoy these things of beauty
Question 13.. Explain : ‘.. will keep a bower quiet for' us, and a sleep full of sweet dreams’ ?
Answer. A thing of beauty gives us a quiet bower to rest peacefully, and a blissful sleep full of
pleasant dreams. It soothes us and gives us tranquility.