In memory of a poet over whom I spent many, many young student hours analysing and whose verses I read repetitiously in my head - John Keats. I felt somewhat nostalgic after having watched the recent movie rendition of his life: Bright Star starring Ben Whishaw and Aussie actress Abbie Cornish.
John Keats, (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet who became one of the key figures of the Romantic movement. Unfortunately during his short life (he lived to age 26), his work was not well received by critics. The poetry of Keats was characterised by elaborate word choice and sensual imagery, most notably in a series of odes which remain among the most popular poems in English literature. A notable verse, from “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, is probably two of the most discussed lines contained in Keats’ poetry:
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty," – that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know
Whilst the meaning behind these two lines is open to interpretation, I can see that this Ode is dedicated to art and human nature. In his other odes, “Ode to a Nightingale” and “Ode on Melancholy”, Keats captures the transience of beauty, that beauty can be temporary, something that can come and go in a fleeting moment. In “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, the figures of the urn are able to always enjoy their beauty and passion because of their artistic permanence. The beauty enjoyed on the urn depicts something that was once a fleeting moment, but has been forever captured as a work of art.
Whilst my two cents might amateuristic by literary standards, I am happy with it and satisfied with the feelings the poem evoke within me.
