With the green world they live in; and clear rills

That for themselves a cooling covert make

3 A Thing of Beauty
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;
About the poet All lovely tales that we have heard or read;
John Keats (1795-1821) was a British Romantic poet. Although An endless fountain of immortal drink,
trained to be a surgeon, Keats decided to devote himself wholly to Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.
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. The following is an
excerpt from his poem ‘Endymion; A Poetic Romance’. The poem is
based on a Greek legend, in which 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.

rills : small streams

What pleasure does a beautiful thing give us? Are beautiful things worth
treasuring? Think it out
1. List the things of beauty mentioned in the poem.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever 2. List the things that cause suffering and pain.
Its loveliness increases, it will never 3. What does the line, ‘Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us
Pass into nothingness; but will keep to earth’ suggest to you?
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep 4. What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings?
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing. 5. Why is ‘grandeur’ associated with the ‘mighty dead’?
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing
6. Do we experience things of beauty only for short moments or do they make
A flowery band to bind us to the earth, a lasting impression on us?
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth
7. What image does the poet use to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth?
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways Notice the consistency in rhyme scheme and line length. Also notice the
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all, balance in each sentence of the poem, as in,
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon, Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon Made for our searching: yes in spite of all,
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils

94/Flamingo

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