John Keat's A thing of beauty

John Keats, PC: Poetry Foundation

A Thing of Beauty

                                           John Keats

A thing of beauty is a joy forever

Its loveliness increases, it will never

Pass into nothingness; but will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

Metaphor: Bower

Keats describes what things with beauty are.

·        Before you start the poem remember the poet MOST DEFINITELY is not talking about human beauty.

·        A beautiful thing (we are not clear right now what these things are; he will tell about them later) gives happiness to all.

·        This happiness is never ending. Why? Because according to Keats anything which has beauty never becomes flawed and its beauty never fades.

·        Nothingness means death or emptiness. So if a thing has beauty then it would never die as its beauty is eternal.

·        This beautiful thing gives us peace. It doesn’t anger and disappoint us. Instead it calms our agitated, sad souls and gives us a moment of serenity.

·        Such beauty lulls us into a deep sleep as it creates a soothing ambiance.

·        For example; Music. It’s a beautiful thing. It helps us sleep, or soothes our distressed souls when we hear it. And music is never dying, immortal. Its loveliness will never fade, as it will keep making the generations to come happy.  

·        We can also say that according to John Keats a thing will deserve the title of “beautiful” if it gives happiness to any and all who observe it or experience it.

Bower- a place full of flowers.

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:

Alliteration: Band to Bind, Noble Natures.

Imagery, Metaphor: Flowery Band

Here on the poet enumerates all that a thing of beauty does for humans.

·        He says that earth is full of malicious people. People who are inhuman and unkind. We live in a world where crime, hatred and wars are common.

·        Such a world makes us unhappy and despondent (depressed, sad). So why should humans want to live in such a world where impostors, cheats and murderers live?

·        Well, we want to live here because of the beautiful things we find in our daily lives that makes living bearable.

·        We bind ourselves (image of tying oneself with a rope to a pillar etc.) to earth. How? With flowery bands (relationships).

·        We meet people daily. We have a family. We fall in love, we have strong friendships. Such bonds tie us to earth. We don’t want to die or lose the will to live in this villainous world because our lives are replete with people who love us and whom we love in return.

·        Love is the first "thing of beauty" Keats mentions in the poem.

·        Love makes the world a worthy place to live, and if this love is strong and pure then it will keep becoming more beautiful as days go by, it will never fade even if we lose the person we love.

Morrow- New day, morning              wreathing- (here) creating and tying

Despondence- sadness, distress        inhuman- cruel, unkind

Dearth- lack of, insufficiency             noble natures- kind people

Unhealthy and over-darkened ways- criminal, illegal, unlawful activities.

yes, in spite of all,

Some shape of beauty moves away the pall

From our dark spirits.

Imagery and Metaphor: Pall

·        Our souls and conscience becomes weighed down when we observe the sorrow in the world.

·        The poets feels that despite of all the human miseries we come across daily some form of beauty lightens the heaviness in our hearts.

Pall- covering, weight, blanket                  Dark spirits- unhappy people

Such the sun, the moon,

Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon

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;

Alliteration:  Simple Sheep, Cooling Covert

Finally we have a list of all the things that Keats considers eternally beautiful.

·        Nature and all the features that are a part of it are beautiful.

·        Sun, moon and trees that provide shade and a place to rest for animals and people alike.

·        All colourful flowers that blossom in the forests (green world) provide a panoramic view for artists to create paintings or music.

·        Clear streams of water that are cool and refreshing under the hot sun.

·        Meadows in the middle of forests covered in pretty musk-roses.

·        All these things are beautiful in the eyes of Keats and they make our lives more livable. They lend solace to the soul and joy to our eyes. When one is standing among such wonders of nature one forgets the sorrows and trials of life.

·        Keats also touches on the immortality of nature. Nature is self- perpetuating. It doesn’t require outside factors to grow. It dies and is reborn all by itself. Thus nature is a "thing of beauty" or beautiful thing which gives happiness “forever”.

And such too is the grandeur of the dooms

We have imagined for the mighty dead;

All lovely tales that we have heard or read;

An endless fountain of immortal drink,

Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.

Metaphor: endless fountain of immortal drink

Here the second “kind” of beautiful things have been mentioned.

·        Keats says that God sends all kinds of people to spend their days on earth. If there are bad then there are some good people too. Apart from these there is another kind of humans that the world remembers forever. The GREAT ONES. Names like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa etc are etched in the history of the world, they are larger than life, magnificent (grandeur) names that we all know.

·        They are mighty, powerful people who struggled through their lives to give happiness to others.

·        Not only them, the soldiers and warriors who sacrifice (dooms) their lives for the people of their nation are beautiful too.

·        Why? Because the stories (lovely tales) are an inspiration for all of us. They may have died but their stories are eternal and they will keep inspiring the generations of the world.

·        Keats calls such personalities "a blessing from God" (pouring unto us). God sends us such people so that their lives become an “immortal drink” or a never-ending source of inspiration for us to lead better lives and become an inspiration to others.