Keats

Ode on a Grecian Urn

Sean Staudacher

Keats’ Ode on a Grecian Urn opens, making observations of the urn’s images in comparison to time. The speaker seems to recognize that the images inscribed are forever in their respective states;

“Thou still unravished bride of quietness,

Thou foster-child of silence and slow time,” (ln. 1-2).

These lines are commentaries on the timelessness the urn must endure. The urn is unravished, as it will not age; forever frozen in its state, and is only the product of time and silence.

Lines three and four elaborate on the meaning or message of the urn. The speaker calls it a “Sylvan historian,” sylvan because of the leafed border of the urn, the imagery of the trees and other foliage, and a historian because the speaker believes there is a story being told, (ln. 3-4).

The latter half of stanza one asks questions from the speaker, to the urn and also perhaps to himself about the urn. A scene on the urn of a group of men chasing women is viewed, the speaker asks who these men and women are, why this chase is taking place, and why the women wish to escape;

“What men or gods are these? What maidens loath?

What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?” (ln. 8-9).

The tenth line of the stanza leads me to believe there are sexual motives at play; “What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?”

In stanza two, the theme and paradox of the images and time are brought to the front of the conversation. The speaker now concentrating on two lovers under a tree, comments that the song being played by the male is unheard, the tree which they lay under can never be bare, and the woman whose affection he is trying to gain can never be kissed. Not to worry the speaker says, because of the paradox of timelessness from being forever frozen on the urn, the man’s song will always be new and “endeared” by the woman, and the woman will never age or become unfair. Also, the tree that covers them will never die.

Stanza three further discusses the issues introduced in the previous. The speaker is still noticing the tree which cannot shed its leaves, and the man and woman who are under the tree. However, in this stanza, the speaker starts to elaborate on the ideal that while these images will forever be happy, the joys they pursue can never be obtained, due to their idleness:

“All breathing human passion far above,

That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloyed,

A burning forehead, and a parching tongue,” (ln. 28-30).

My interpretation of these lines, leads me to believe that the man and woman are happy to be together, although due to the paradox, they can never kiss nor consummate physical love; which they may be in pursuit of.

Stanza four moves the speaker to another image on the urn. The speaker is viewing a sacrifice of some sorts. And has now begun to draw conclusions as to what these images mean. He begins by posing questions about the event, and then continues to place the city in which these events are transpiring in one of three locations:

“What little town by river or seashore,

Is emptied of this folk, this pious mourn?

And, little town, thy streets for evermore

Will silent be; and not a soul to tell

Why thou art desolate, can e’er return,” (ln. 35-40).

For the first time in the poem, the speaker is making suggestions to the reader; is this town by a river, sea, or upon a mountain? And once again the speaker reintroduces the paradox of timelessness, as the town is emptied and quiet, which can be viewed as a pleasantry. It can also, however, never again be refilled of the people who once inhabited it.

The poem then concludes in stanza five, with the speaker giving a somewhat envious and sorrowful profession to the urn. He spends the first three lines summarizing the images on the urn, before saying that while it is silent, it still teases its viewers with the thoughts it provokes. And then continues to compare it to eternity, as it will never change.

The speaker once again changes directions within the stanza, prophesying the urns ability to outlive the current generation, and perhaps many more to come:

“When old age shall this generation waste,

Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe

Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st,” (ln. 46-48).

This is followed by perhaps the two most controversial lines in all of poetry:

‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty’; that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know,” (ln. 49-50).

So many attempts to understand the meaning of these lines have been made, and theories stated as to what Keats meant in writing them. T.S. Elliot has said that they are “blight upon an otherwise beautiful poem.” Which makes me believe that he feels they don’tt even belong in the poem.

It is in my opinion that this poem an admiration of art and beauty, although an admiration that raises a paradox through its methods. The speaker of the poem seems to be drawn to the urn, which is a work of art, along with the images inscribed on it.

He sees the beauty of the lovers on it, and the pastoral imagery, this causes an admiration of what he is viewing, and at the same time a paradox. The lovers and the tree are fortunate because they will never age, fall out of love, or shed their leaves, respectively. At the same time, the lovers can never obtain to the full extent, the love they seek because they are forever idle.

The same goes for the town which has become emptied and peaceful from the sacrifice. On one hand it is at peace, but can never again be filled with its inhabitants. And then there is the urn itself, able to outlive generations of people, turmoil, and disease. The images upon it will never age nor sicken, but at the cost of eternal idleness. In other words, the people depicted on it may be happy or even simply content, but are forever stuck in that state.

Finally, there are the last two lines of the poem. “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” are in quotations, meaning for me, that this is somewhere written on the urn. The line itself reads to me as beauty and truth are one in the same, according to the urn’s creator. The remainder of the poem, reading: “that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know,” are not in quotes, and therefore it is only logical to me that this line is spoken by the speaker. The speaker is an actual person, within the poem, on earth, so it only makes sense that this is his response to the previously quoted line.

Here are a few links that will guide you through a further understanding of the poem. Not only will you get interpretations from scholars much wiser than I, but you will also find summaries and complete versions of the poem as well.

An extensive and in-depth biography of John keats’ life:

http://englishhistory.net/keats/life.html

A complete copy of “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, along with footnotes, a short preface and some of the earliest known manuscripts from the poem:

http://englishhistory.net/keats/poetry/odeonagrecianurn.html

A general summary of the poem, along with a stanza by stanza summary:

http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/urn.html

…And of course, a link to the spark notes page, covering a summary, the form, and themes of the poem:

http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/keats/section4.rhtml