CBSE Class 12 Board Examination

Chapter 4: A Thing of Beauty

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Summary

Taken from John Keats's long poem 'Endymion', this extract celebrates the everlasting joy that beauty brings to human life. The poet opens with the famous idea that a thing of beauty is a joy for ever — its loveliness keeps increasing and never fades into nothingness. Such beauty is like a quiet bower that gives us sleep full of sweet dreams, health and peaceful breathing. The poet explains that, despite the gloom, suffering, disappointment and the lack of noble natures that darken our existence, beautiful things lift the pall or covering of sadness from our spirits and bind us to the earth, giving us reasons to go on living. He lists many sources of such beauty: the sun, the moon, old and young trees that give shade to simple sheep, daffodils and the green world they grow in, clear streams that make a cooling shelter against the hot season, and the rich profusion of musk-roses in the forest. He adds that the grandeur of the mighty dead, and the beautiful tales we have heard or read, are also sources of lasting joy. Finally, he describes all these endless beautiful things as an immortal drink — a fountain of nectar pouring into us from heaven's edge. The poem affirms that beauty is a constant, healing source of happiness that makes life worth living.

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