A THING OF BEAUTY (Flamingo)

By John Keats

In this Greek legend, a young shepherd by the name of Endymion had a vision of Cynthia, the moon goddess. This youth makes a resolution to go after her and seek her. In this quest, he wanders through the forest and under the sea. In the poem, the poet tells us that beautiful things bring immense pleasure and delight. 

LINES 1- 5
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

"Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness"; something which is truly beautiful will become more beautiful, and it cannot die. "but still will keep A bower quiet for us, and a sleep Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing." A bower refers to a shady, fenced woods a place that feels somewhat enclosed: so, this beautiful thing will, figuratively, remain a private little place for us to enjoy. It will defy "despondence" or "gloomy days," lifting the darkness away from us. 

1. Can we say this poem is unusual and why? Discuss.
For example, "Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness"; in other words, something which is truly beautiful will become more beautiful, and it cannot die.

These lines represents a somewhat unusual statement in that we typically think of things that are very beautiful as things that will not, and cannot, last. Youth is beautiful, and it fades. A flower is beautiful, and it dies. Innocence is beautiful, and it is eventually corrupted. Life is beautiful, but we are mortal. For Keats to make such a statement—that things of beauty will never, can never, die—really goes against common "wisdom" and makes this poem unusual. 

LINES 6-13
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. Such the sun, the moon,

In the next stanza, the poet says that as the thing of beauty is fundamentally important to us, every morning, we collect the flower-like charm of the beautiful things and make a band of it that gives us joy. 

There are unhappy moments in our life. We lack noble nature in the inhumane materialistic life. We have to face unhealthy ways, griefs and even failures. But in spite of all these gloomy things, a thing of beauty takes away all these troubles and gives us joy and peace. 

LINES 14-19
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:

In these lines the poet gives examples of things of beauty that give us joy and happiness. Examples include the Sun, the Moon, trees old and young [that grow up and give peaceful shade to our spirit], innocent sheep, daffodils [that make the earth green], pure and cool streams. 

There are summers in which the fair musk-rose blooms that shine (sparkle) the season. 

LINES 20-24
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.

Finally, the poet refers to the beauty of the grandeur (magnificent and impressive memory) of the mighty dead i.e. the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the good causes. There is joy in the lovely tales that we have heard or read about their sacrifices. Thus nature is the endless fountain of immortal drink which it pours unto us from the heaven’s brink. The line means that nature gives us immortal joy that comes from heaven and hence it is the ultimate source of happiness. 

2. Mention some of the poetic devices in this poem.

Keats has used metaphor, alliteration and imagery as poetic devices. 

Metaphor is used in “wreathing a flowery band”, “bower quiet”, and “sweet dreams”. 

The vast use of imagery can be found in the phrase “flowery bands”, “shady boon”, “daffodils in green world”, “clear rills”, and “grandeur of dooms”. 

“Cooling covert” and “endless fountain of eternal drink” are one of the notable examples of imagery used in this poem. 

This poem received many derisive criticisms after its publication. Though Keats himself noticed the incoherent style, he did not regret writing it. 

3. What is the theme of the poem?
The theme of the poem is love and, particularly, trying to attain love. In the poem, Endymion literally searches for Cynthia, whom he loves. In this sense, the desire to grasp love is both literal and figurative. The poem's main narrative is essentially a journey towards love.
4. List the things of beauty mentioned in the poem.
The things of beauty as mentioned in the poem contain the bounties of nature such as the sun, the moon, old and young trees, and simple things like sheep, daffodils and streams of water in the forest.
5. List the things that cause suffering and pain.

Jealousy, despondence, lack of human qualities, gloomy days, unhealthy and evil ways bring out pain and suffering. 

6. What does the line, ’therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to earth” suggest to you?
This line suggests that things of beauty bind us to the earth with a beautiful connection.
7. What is “grandeur” associated with the “mighty dead”?

The 'grandeur' is associated with the 'mighty dead' because the splendor of the deeds inspires us through the historical stories. The legends and stories of martyrs encourage us. Through their legends, the mighty dead continue to live and to be active as spiritual powers. 

8. Do we experience things beauty only for short moments or do they make a lasting impression on us?

We see a thing of beauty for a few minutes but it leaves a lasting impression on our mind. It stays in our imagination forever and thus becomes an endless source of joy. It never passes into nothingness. 

9. What images does the poet use to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth ?
The vast use of imagery can be found in the phrase “flowery bands”, “shady boon”, “daffodils in green world”, “clear rills”, and “grandeur of dooms”.
“Cooling covert” and “endless fountain of eternal drink” are one of the notable examples of imagery used in this poem. All these imageries are used describe the beauty of nature.
10. What does the last two lines reveal.
An endless fountain of immortal drink,
Pouring unto us from the heaven's brink.
The beautiful objects of nature, the fascinating and enchanting stories of the mighty kings they are all plenty in this earth and a source of joy forever.
11. What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings?
Human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings because of the existence of several natural and beautiful things around them. They give joy and optimism to human mind, and thus, help in overcoming or bearing the troubles and sufferings.