rati ujral’s English Classes mob.: 9413352436 Poem 4 A THING OF BEAUTY STANZAS FOR COMPREHENSION at @ (oe © @ @ oO 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 What kind of joy does a becuutiful thing provide? A thing of beauty provides eternal and everlasting joy to us because it leaves an indelible imprint in our mind and we relive the joyful experience whenever we think about it. Explain: “Tes loveliness increases”. Joy multiplies with every beautiful thought, Likewise the loveliness of a beautiful thing increases manifold each time we visualise it on our mind screen, What does that poet mean by saying it will never pass into nothingness ‘The joy a beautiful thing provides is eternal. The imprint it leaves on our mind is indelible. Thus its loveliness can uever fade away or die out According to Keats, what treasures does a beautiful thing store for us? The poet feels that & thing of beauty can never fade into nothingness, but will store for us, a quiet bower, a sleep full of sweet dreams, and a healthy, quiet breathing, Explain: ‘sleep full of sweet dreams.’ The joy Beauty gives us is akin to the joy of a blissful sleep full of pleasant dreams What does ‘quiet breathing’ imply? The reference implies to the sense of peace and serenity that one experiences on seeing beautiful ings. Beautiful sights act like nutrition things. Beautiful sights act like nutritious for a healthy mind and thus refresh and relax us by diving away aggression and restlessness Yes, in spite of all, Some shape of beauty moves away the pall From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon.@ a © @ (e) (a) ‘Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon. For simple sheep; and such are daffodils With the green world they live in What does ‘in spite of all? refer to? The expression refers to all the pessimistic and negative thoughts that obstruct our way to happiness [In spite of the sense of hopelessness and gloom that overshadow and darken our ways, we are able to find our happiness in the beautiful objects of nature. What, according to the poet, drives away the sadness jrom our life? Beauty, in any shape or form, helps in driving away the sadness and despair from the dark recesses of our spirit What images of beauty has the poet referred to here? ‘The poet sees beauty at its best, through the various objects of nature, He appreciates this simple and serene beauty through the image of the sun, the moon, the trees, the sheep, the daffodils and the green pastures and rivers How does the poet celebrate the beauty of a ‘tree’? The poet sees the tree, whether young or old, as a symbol of protection. Nature, through the trees showers on us the blessing of ‘shade’, protecting us ftom heat, intensive light of the sun and also from rain, What does the reference ‘simple sheep’ symbolize Lambs and sheep are envisioned as the embodiments of innocent and serene beauty. Jesus Christ, as an apostle of peace, was a shepherd and was scen surrounded by this flock of sheep, his followers. ‘The poet has made specific reference to the sheep as symbols of divine beauty. Explain: ‘With the green world they live in’. Nature’s beauty is at its best in the lushgreen surroundings of meadows and pastures which provide the life support to all plants and animals. No living creature can be happy away from nature, and it is in this green world that they find the true joy and happiness of life. We have imagined for the might dead; All lovely tales that we have heard or r An endless fountain of immortal drink, Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink. 4 Who are the ‘mighty dead’? | The ‘mighty dead’ refers to those great men and warriors who glorified death by embracing it most | ‘gracefully and magnificently.oO @ @ Why does the poet make this reference? ‘The poet refers to the ‘mighty dead’ because beauty can be seen not only in birth and growth, but also ina magnificent death, What ‘lovely tales have we heard or read"? A glorified and magnificent death gets recorded in the leaves of history, leaving an indelible imprint on it. It remains an everlasting source of motivation to all those who read or hear about such great ‘men who achieved glory in death, What is referred to as an ‘endless fountain of immortal drink’? Beauty, in all respects, whether in growth or in decay, is a perennial source of motivation. It is an endless fountain from where we can drink the immortal elixir of life. Explain : “Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink. Beauty is the greatest gift to God to man which has been showered upon us from the heavens above This beauty is eternal and everlasting, in whose glory men on earth bask and derive their perennial source of joy and happiness. ‘Textual Question ol. 02. 03. List the things of beauty mentioned in the poem? Or What images of beauty does the poet refer to? The poet sees shades and colours of beauty in the sun, the moon, the trees, the innocence of the sheep, the blossoming of the daffodils, the rivers and streams, mass of ferns, blooming musk-roses and in every aspect of this green world we live in. List the things that cause suffering and pain. Or What pains and sufferings of life have been referred to by the poet in the Poem? Keats was a sensuous péet and worshipped beauty for which he nurtured overwhelming passion, But, the pain and sufferings of his life made him realise that sorrow and suffering were central to life, Even while celebrating beauty in full measure in this poem, Keats could not remain indifferent to the pain and hoplessness one suffers on account of the inhuman dearth of noble natures on earth or the hostile and iniuman attitude that makes our days gloomy and darkens our ways with despair and despondence. What does the line, ‘Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to earth’ suggest to you?Himself beautiful creation of God, man has a special relationship with all things beautiful, Beauty makes this life and world worth living in for him. He lives for beauty, seeks beauty and experiences beauty. What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings? No doubt, life on earth is a saga of suffering and pain, but the intermittent phases of joy and happiness, which beautify life, make human beings love life. The treat of natural beauty which abounds, the clear rivers, the gurgling brooks, the thick forest vegetation ~ all motivate us to love life with all its shades of troubles and sufferings. Why is ‘grandeur’ associated with the ‘mighty dead’? Beauty, for Keats, was not just sensuous but also intellectual and spiritual. A magnificent death of a warrior, or a selfless sacrifice, has its own grandeur. Thus, the poet associates grandeur with the mighty dead because he saw spiritual and intellectual beauty in their grand and magnificent death, Growth and decay go hand in hand in Nature and both have their own grandeur and beauty. Likewise, a brave and grand death makes one immortal Do we experience things of beauty only for short moments or do they make a lasting impression on us? According to John Keats, things of beauty make a lasting impression on us, They are a source of joy forever. Their beauty survives the ravages of time and continues to live in our thoughts, The loveliness of a thing of beauty never ceases to be and never passes into nothingness. What image does the poet use to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth? ‘The poet uses the image of a perennial fountain which pours forth bounties on earth in the form of immortal drink from the heavens above. The sun, the moon, the trees, the sheep, the daffodils and the green pastures and clear rivers are images and reflections of the bounties of beauty on earth which God has bestowed on us. How is ‘a thing of beauty, a joy forever’? John Keats was a great worshipper of beauty. He saw beauty as a perennial source of joy and happiness. Beauty leaves an indelible imprint on the mind of the onlooker and provides eternal happiness whenever the thought or sight flashes upon the inward eye. The loveliness of a thing of beauty goes on increasing with time and it never passes into nothingness, What makes the poet believe that a thing of beauty can never pass into nothingness? As a worshipper of beauty, Keats staunchly believes that the loveliness manifold as we reflect upon that thought again and again. Thus the joy derived from a beautiful object lingers on and can never fade away or die How does beauty leave an indelible imprint on our mind?Ou. Qu. Qu3. Man treasures beautiful thoughts and sights in his mind for they provide him respite and relaxation in his gloomy days. Beauty thus leaves its imprint in the form of sweet dreams. The feelings of serenity and positive vibration it inculeates, soothe and relax the turbulent mind. How, according to the poet, does the darkness and despair of life wither avay? At avery young age, Keats had to struggle against the odds of life and hence he saw sorrow suffering as the inevitable truth of life. He found respite in things of beauty, and here too he voices his love for beauty when he says that the darkness and despair of life disappears with shapes and sights of beauty. How does the poem highlight Keats’ yearning for ‘ideal beauty’? Keats loved the principle of beauty in all things. He visualised beauty as eternal, But merely Physical, sensuous beauty cannot be eternal for it fades ways with time. The beauty that Keats refers ‘o is spiritual beauty, or the beauty of ideas Le, realization of truth, which transcends time and space It is this ideal beauty that he refers to in the poem, for according to him ‘Beauty is Truth, Truth a Beauty, - that is all’. What philosophy of life is highlighted in the poem? Keats worshipped Beauty both at its sensuous and spiritual level. All his poetry reveals a yearning for that lofty loveliness which is real and true, His passion for Beauty, however, did not keep ‘him untouched with the pain and suffering of life which he saw as the central fact of life. As an escapist, he found refuge from the pains and sufferings of life in Beauty itself He believes that beauty « ‘moves away the pall from our dark spirits’, making us love life despite its sorrows aud suffering, How does the poem highlight the poet's immense faith in the Divine? Keats believed in the oneness of Truth and Beauty which can be spiritual and not physical, He saw ‘Truth and Beauty as the common attributes of the Divine Reality. Nature, he felt, was beautiful. The Sun, the moon and the stars all are beautiful only because such beauties are a reflection of the beauty and majesty of their Maker, who is the highest truth. In the concluding lines of the poem the poet refers to his faith in the Divine Beauty when he sees Nature as an endless fountain which pours forth its bounties on earth from the Heavens above,