CBSE Class 12 English A Thing of Beauty Notes Set B

About The Poet

English romantic poet John Keats was born on October 31, 1795 in London. His first volume of poems was published in 1817. His poems, dealing with mythical and legendary themes of ancient, medieval and Renaissance times, are rich in imagery and phrasing. He died at a young age of twenty five in 1821.

Summary

In this poem, the poet tells about how nature and its wonders mesmerise us and how they take away all the sorrow that surrounds us from time to time. A beautiful thing is a source of eternal joy, its attractiveness grows with a passage of time and its impact never fades away. It is as cool and pleasant as a quiet lover or like one sleeps a sound sleep with sweet dreams. It ensures good health and tranquility. It provides the one who possess, an ever existing peace and solace. The earth minus the beautiful things is despondent, spiteful place thriving in callous insensitive dearth and is rough towards humans. Each day in life one encounters sadness along with unhealthy spite and darkness.

In spite of this, a thing of beauty may eradicate these gloomy clouds which burden our soul. Hence, the poet says that we, human beings, create an ornate bond every day made up of all lovely things we see. This bond keeps us bound to the despondent earth, otherwise we would have lost all hope. Then the poet reiterates few beautiful things that we see on earth. As beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder-everyone of us can find something beautiful in anything. The example given by the poet are of the sun, the moon, trees, flowers, stream, musk-rose blooms, architectural tombs, even fairytales or stories of heroic legends. The ‘simple sheep’ are human beings – the poet sympathises with the human beings and their innocence. Keats sees the beauty in innocent human looking out for solace in nature and mother nature in its own way develops a shady abode of relief and consolation.

The clause, ‘Lily of the Valley’ is quite well known and incites image of a subtle unique white flower holding up its head amongst a setting of thorns and tips and everything contrary in nature to delicateness, are daffodils cited as an example by the poet. The poet also sees beauty in death of martyrs and legends. ‘The mighty dead’ are the warriors who died for a cause. In order to honour them magnificent and tall sepulchers are erected. One may see beauty in that as well. When we look around there are numerous beautiful things which are immortal and are created by gods above for pitiable human beings so that they are able to cope up with the harshness of life.