The poem A Thing of Beauty written by John Keats is about the poet’s views on beauty and its importance in life. Before moving further, I would like to tell that John Keats belonged to the Romantic Period, the theme of which was “Return to Nature“.

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A Thing Of Beauty
-John Keats

2.  The poem A Thing of Beauty written by John Keats is about the poet’s views on beauty and
its importance in life. Before moving further, I would like to tell that John Keats belonged to
the Romantic Period, the theme of which was “Return to Nature“.
 The poem has is based on the theme of Romantic Poetry. The Romantic Poets believed
that the materialistic world (which was emerging fast during those days due to the Industrial
Revolution) has given birth to greed, corruption, lust and craze for material things.
 The Romantic Poets thus escaped to the rustic life in order to get closer to nature, which
according to them is the ultimate source of peace, happiness and joy.
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3. A Thing Of Beauty Stanza 1
 Stanza 1
 The poem begins with the famous line A thing of beauty is a joy
forever meaning that a beautiful thing always gives joy to humans. It
will never Pass into nothingness i.e. its beauty will never die, instead
of its loveliness increases.
 The poet then compares the thing of beauty with a number of other
things to describe how much important it is for us. According to him, it is
a bower quiet for us i.e. it is like the peaceful shade of plants for us.
 It is a sleep full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet
breathing. By comparing the thing of beauty by all these things he
wants to prove that it has a significant role to play in the life of human
beings.
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 John Keats (1795-1821) was a British Romantic poet.
 Although trained to be a surgeon, Keats decided to devote himself wholly to
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

5. A Thing Of Beauty Stanza 2
 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 nature in the inhumane
materialistic life. We have to face
unhealthy ways, grief 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.
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6. A Thing Of Beauty Stanza 3
 In the third stanza, 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.
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7. A Thing Of Beauty Stanza 4
 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 cause. There is the joy of the lovely tales that we have heard or
read which we hear about them.
 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.
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8. Short Questions and Answers.
 1. What is a bower?
 Answer: A bower is a pleasant shady place under trees or climbing
plants.
 2. List the things of beauty mentioned in the poem.
 Answer: The Sun, the moon, shady trees, daffodil flowers, streams of
water, dense green forest are things of beauty mentioned here.
 3. What does the flowing streams do to us?
 Answer: The flowing streams of water cool and refresh us in the hot
summer.
 4. How are the beautiful things?
 Answer: They are like a fountain of immortality bestowed upon us by
God.
 5. What is a‘rill’?
 Answer: A rill is a small clear stream.
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9. Answer the following Questions
 1. How is a thing of beauty joy forever?
 Answer: A thing of beauty is a joy forever because it is a
source of endless joy and its eternal beauty never fades
away.
 2. Why do we suffer?
 Answer: Over attachments to the earthly things are like a
trap which bind us to the materialistic things and keep us
away from eternal happiness. So we suffer.
 3. According to the poet, mention the evil things we
possess?
 Answer: The evil things we possess are hatred, greed, and
negativity.

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10. Questions and Answers.
 1. What is the central idea of the poem ‘A thing of beauty’?
 Answer: Beauty is a heavenly tonic or drink. It is an endless fountain of nectar. This beauty comes
in different forms like a tale, a poem, a play, a lovely object of nature or the heavenly bodies. It
soothes our spirits and gives us good health, sound sleep and mental peace. It removes sadness
from our lives and gives an everlasting joy. So beauty is a gift of God to all of us.
 2. Do the things of beauty make a lasting impression on us?
 Answer: We feel happy by coming into contact with things of beauty. They make a lasting
impression on us. Keats makes it clear at the outset. A thing of beauty is a joy forever. It is a
constant source of joy and pleasure. Its beauty never declines or diminishes. Its loveliness goes on
increasing every moment. Its value remains undiminished. It never passes into nothingness. It
removes the pall of sadness that covers our dark spirits.

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