Theme of the Poem

The idea that beauty is eternal and has a timeless lifelong attraction is the central theme of the poem “A Thing of Beauty” from the Class 12 English
Flamingo textbook. The poem talks about how beauty endures and may be found in both created and natural things. The speaker makes the claim that
beauty has a transcendent aspect and that it can make people feel happy and amazed. The poem also explores the idea that while beauty may be
transient and brief, those who have encountered it are changed forever. The poem also mentions the notion that beauty has the power to unite people
and foster a sense of harmony and oneness.

A Thing of Beauty Poem Background

Based on Greek mythology about a shepherd named Endymion, his quest for his love Diana and how in his quest, he falls in love with an Earthly
maiden, who later turns out to be Diana herself.
A Thing of Beauty Summary
A Thing of Beauty Summary – The summary of the Poem “A Thing of Beauty” is given below. ‘A Thing of Beauty– is a poem taken from the poem
titled – “Endymion – a poetic romance’ written by the famous poet John Keats. The poet says that a beautiful thing is a source of endless joy. It has
eternal beauty which never fades away. A beautiful thing is like a shady shelter that gives us a sleep Full of sweet dreams, good health, and relaxation.
Our attachments to the Earthly things are like a flowery wreath. They are traps that bind us to materialistic things and keep us away from eternal
happiness. The Earth is full of hatred, greed, and negativity. According to the poet, the gloom and sadness caused by this negativity fade away with the
positive vibes of the beautiful things that surround us.

The poet lists out some of the beautiful things that surround us. As the saying goes -“Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. He says that the
numerous creations of God like the Sun which gives us energy, the moon’s beauty, the trees which give us shade are the natural beauties around us.
The various animals like the sheep that surround us make our world lively. The pretty flowers like daffodils make the world green and lively. The flowing
streams of water cool and refresh us in the hot summer season. The forests which are full of the pretty musk rose flowers are a beautiful sight to the
eye. All these are the things of beauty. Also, the stories of the brave soldiers who laid their lives to protect their people are beautiful and inspiring.
These beautiful things are like a fountain of immortality bestowed upon us by God. They inspire us to live on and maintain our faith in goodness.

A Thing of Beauty Explanation

POEM
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.

Word Meaning : Bower: A shady place under the tree

Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that beauty stays forever. It never fades away. Rather, it increases with the passing time.
The perception of the poet regarding beauty is that it never goes off with the passing time, rather it beautifies more and more. For the poet, beauty is
like a beautiful shady tree under whose shade all the creatures can sleep peacefully and enjoy good health.
Literary devices:
rhyme scheme: aabbc (forever, never, keep, sleep, breathing)
Alliteration: Use of consonant sound at the start of two words which are close in series (Sleep-Sweet)
Metaphor: bower Quiet (calmness of the bower is compared to the calming effect of a beautiful thing)

POEM : 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: yes, in spite of all,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall
From our dark spirits.

Word Meaning :
Morrow: The following day
Wreathing: surround, encircle
Despondence: depressed
Gloomy: sad

Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that every day, it is the beauty which fills us with the spirit to live. It is the beauty which
builds the desire in us to live though there are sad moments and cruel people around us. So here the poet wants to say that without beauty the earth
will be full of cruel people, sad and gloomy moments. It is the beauty which is created by god which helps us to remove the sadness from our hearts.
Literary devices:
Anaphora: Use of same word in two consecutive lines (of noble natures- Of all the unhealthy)
Alliteration: Use of consonant sound at the start of two words which are close in series (‘b’ in Band Bind, ‘n’ in Noble nature, ‘s’ in some shape).
Metaphor: wreathing a flowery band (the beautiful things of our life bind us to the earth)
Imagery: creating a sensory effect of beautiful things lined up in a string ( A flowery band to bind us)
inversion: normal order of words is reversed ( Are we wreathing a flowery band)

POEM : 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

Word Meaning :
Boon: blessing
Rills: a small stream
Brake: a process to slow down

Explanation of the poem passage above: Here the poet describes the beautiful things which are present on earth. These are the sun, moon, trees,
flowers (daffodils) and the rivers. Poet says that all these things are like a blessing bestowed on all the creatures by earth. He further describes that the
trees provide us with their shade, flowers with their beauty and rivers with their coolness during the hot summers. All of these are the beauties of nature
which are like a boon for us.

Literary devices:
Alliteration: Use of consonant sound at the start of two words which are close in series (‘s’ in Sprouting Shady, Simple sheep, ‘c’ in cooling covert)
Imagery: Trees giving shade (sprouting shady boon), growing process of daffodils (daffodils with the green world they live in), Clean river streams
(Clear rills)
Antithesis: opposite words placed together (old and young)

POEM : Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms;

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

Word Meaning :
Grandeur: high rank or socially important
Mighty: enormous
Immortal: never dying
Brink: edge

Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet further carries on with the description of the more beautiful things present on earth. such as the
beautiful musk roses which have such a nice fragrance. Then he describes the tales of the mighty warriors who laid their lives for their countries or for
humanity. He says that these beautiful things are the gifts from god for all of us. They are like a nectar given by god to us and these are those beauties
which are immortal and give us a reason to live on this earth despite having so many sorrows in our life.
Literary devices:
Alliteration: Use of consonant sound at the start of two words which are close in series (‘h’ in have heard)
Metaphor: Immortal drinks ( beautiful objects of nature are forever like a neverending portion of a drink)
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme is used in every stanza of the poem (forever; never, keep; sleep, dead; read etc.)
Imagery: Bushes full of musk roses (sprinkling of fair musk rose blooms), books describing valor of fighters (grandeur-..mighty dead), god providing us
with best things (pouring from the heaven’s brink)
New words
 Bower- a pleasant shady place under trees or climbing plants.
 Morrow the following day
 Wreathing covering or to encircle.
 Spite – desire to offend or annoy someone.
 Despondence disheartened, hopeless.
 Noble of superior quality, having high moral principles
 Pall a cloud, here, a dark cloud of gloom and sadness.
 Spirits the soul where lie our emotions and character.
 Sprouting to develop suddenly in large numbers.
 Shady boon a shade which is helpful to someone.
 Rills streams of running water.
 Covert not openly known or displayed.
 Grandeur so as to impress.
 Dooms last day of existence.
 Immortal living forever.
 Heaven’s brink the door of God’s home.
List the things of beauty mentioned in the poem.
 The Sun
 The Moon
 Shady trees
 Beautiful daffodil flowers
 Streams of water
 Dense green bushes of forest ferns where fragrant musk roses grow
 Tales of heroic men who sacrifice their lives
List the things that cause suffering and pain.
 Desire to offend others
 Hopelessness
 Lack of noble men
 Bad health
 Unhappiness
 Gloom
 Darkness

A Thing of Beauty Question Answers

Q. What does the line, “Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to earth suggest to you?
A. It means that we get attached to the beautiful things around us and weave a pretty band which binds us with our life, it becomes the reason for us to
live.
Q. What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings?
A. The eternal beauty of various things gives us happiness and relaxation. It makes us love life inspite of life’s troubles and sufferings.
Q. Why is œgrandeur associated with the -œmighty dead?
A. The noble deeds of the brave men who sacrificed their lives are an inspiration for us forever. The beautiful legacy of their bravery is the grandeur
which is associated with the mighty dead.
Q. Do we experience things of beauty only for short moments or do they make a lasting impression on us?
A. According to the poet, a thing of beauty is a joy forever. Even if we see it for a few moments, it has a lasting impression on us and its beautiful
memory stays with us forever. It inspires us to live, despite the ruthlessness of life.
Q. What image does the poet use to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth?
A. The beautiful bounty of the earth is described by -œendless fountain of immortal drink- which signifies that God bestows us with all his beautiful
creations which help us live despite the sad, gloomy aspects of life.
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A Thing of Beauty Extract based questions

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.
1. List the things that a thing of beauty give us
A. 1. A bower quiet for us
2. A sleep full of sweet dreams
3. Health
4. Quiet breathing

2. A beautiful thing gives us ___________ joy

a. Eternal
b. unending
c. forever
d. All of these
A. d

3. What is the rhyme scheme?

A. aabbccddeeff…

4. Which figure of speech can be seen throughout the stanza?

a. Metaphor
b. Simile
c. enjambment
d. Personification

A. c
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
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;
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.

1. Find a synonym of grief

A. Pall
2. The clear rills are a ______________
a. Boon
b. Cooling place
c. grandeur
d. Noisy thing
A. b

3. ____________ is like an endless fountain of immortal drink

a. The rills
b. The lovely tales
c. the musk rose blooms
d. All of these
A. d

4. ‘Brink’ means-
a. To wink
b. Edge
c. wall
d. Land
A. b