A Thing of Beauty by john Keats

Based on Greek mythology about a shepherd named

Endymion, his quest for his love Diana and how in

his quest, he falls in love with an Earthly maiden,

who later turns out to be Diana herself.

A Thing of Beauty Summary

A Thing of Beauty Summary – The summary of the

Poem “A Thing of Beauty” is given below. ‘A Thing of

Beauty– is a poem taken from the poem titled –

“Endymion – a poetic romance’ written by the

famous poet John Keats. The poet says that a

beautiful thing is a source of endless joy. It has

eternal beauty which never fades away. A beautiful

thing is like a shady shelter that gives us a sleep Full

of sweet dreams, good health, and relaxation.

Our attachments to the Earthly things are like a

flowery wreath. They are traps that bind us to

materialistic things and keep us away from eternal

happiness. The Earth is full of hatred, greed, and

negativity. According to the poet, the gloom and

sadness caused by this negativity fade away with the

positive vibes of the beautiful things that surround

us.

 
The poet lists out some of the beautiful things that

surround us. As the saying goes -“Beauty lies in the

eyes of the beholder. He says that the numerous

creations of God like the Sun which gives us energy,

the moon’s beauty, the trees which give us shade are

the natural beauties around us. The various animals

like the sheep that surround us make our world lively.

The pretty flowers like daffodils make the world

green and lively. The flowing streams of water cool

and refresh us in the hot summer season. The forests

which are full of the pretty musk rose flowers are a

beautiful sight to the eye. All these are the things of

beauty. Also, the stories of the brave soldiers who

laid their lives to protect their people are beautiful

and inspiring. These beautiful things are like a

fountain of immortality bestowed upon us by God.

They inspire us to live on and maintain our faith in

goodness.

  

A Thing of Beauty Explanation

A thing of beauty is a joy forever

Its loveliness increases, it will never

Pass into nothingness, but will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet

breathing.

Bower: A shady place under the tree

The poet says that beauty stays forever. It never

fades away. Rather, it increases with the passing time.

The perception of the poet regarding beauty is that it

never goes off with the passing time, rather it

beautifies more and more. For the poet, beauty is like

a beautiful shady tree under whose shade all the

creatures can sleep peacefully and enjoy good health.

Literary devices:

rhyme scheme: aabbc (forever, never, keep, sleep,

breathing)

Alliteration: Use of consonant sound at the start of

two words which are close in series (Sleep-Sweet)

Metaphor: bower Quiet (calmness of the bower is

compared to the calming effect of a beautiful thing)

Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing

A flowery band to bind us to the earth,

Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth

Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,

Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways

Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,

Some shape of beauty moves away the pall

From our dark spirits.

Morrow: The following day

Wreathing: surround, encircle

Despondence: depressed
Gloomy: sad

The poet says that every day, it is the beauty which

fills us with the spirit to live. It is the beauty which

builds the desire in us to live though there are sad

moments and cruel people around us. So here the

poet wants to say that without beauty the earth will

be full of cruel people, sad and gloomy moments. It is

the beauty which is created by god which helps us to

remove the sadness from our hearts.

Literary devices:

Anaphora: Use of same word in two consecutive

lines (of noble natures- Of all the unhealthy)

Alliteration: Use of consonant sound at the start of

two words which are close in series (‘b’ in Band Bind,

‘n’ in Noble nature, ‘s’ in some shape).

Metaphor: wreathing a flowery band (the beautiful

things of our life bind us to the earth)

Imagery: creating a sensory effect of beautiful things

lined up in a string ( A flowery band to bind us)

inversion: normal order of words is reversed ( Are we

wreathing a flowery band)

Such the sun, the moon,

Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon

For simple sheep; and such are daffodils

With the green world they live in; and clear rills

That for themselves a cooling covert make

‘Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake

Boon: blessing

Rills: a small stream

Brake: a process to slow down

Here the poet describes the beautiful things which

are present on earth. These are the sun, moon, trees,

flowers (daffodils) and the rivers. Poet says that all

these things are like a blessing bestowed on all the

creatures by earth. He further describes that the

trees provide us with their shade, flowers with their

beauty and rivers with their coolness during the hot

summers. All of these are the beauties of nature

which are like a boon for us.

Literary devices:

Alliteration: Use of consonant sound at the start of

two words which are close in series (‘s’ in Sprouting

Shady, Simple sheep, ‘c’ in cooling covert)

Imagery: Trees giving shade (sprouting shady boon),

growing process of daffodils (daffodils with the green

world they live in), Clean river streams (Clear rills)

Antithesis: opposite words placed together (old and

young)
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms;

And such too is the grandeur of the

dooms                    

We have imagined for the mighty dead;

All lovely tales that we have heard or read;

An endless fountain of immortal drink,

Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink

Grandeur: high rank or socially important

Mighty: enormous

Immortal: never dying

Brink: edge

The poet further carries on with the description of

the more beautiful things present on earth. such as

the beautiful musk roses which have such a nice

fragrance. Then he describes the tales of the mighty

warriors who laid their lives for their countries or for

humanity. He says that these beautiful things are the

gifts from god for all of us. They are like a nectar

given by god to us and these are those beauties

which are immortal and give us a reason to live on

this earth despite having so many sorrows in our life.

Literary devices:

Alliteration: Use of consonant sound at the start of

two words which are close in series (‘h’ in have heard)

Metaphor: Immortal drinks ( beautiful objects of

nature are forever like a neverending portion of a

drink)
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme is used in every stanza of the

poem (forever; never, keep; sleep, dead; read etc.)

Imagery: Bushes full of musk roses (sprinkling of fair

musk rose blooms), books describing valor of fighters

(grandeur-..mighty dead), god providing us with best

things (pouring from the heaven’s brink)

New words

 Bower- a pleasant shady place under trees or

climbing plants.

 Morrow the following day

 Wreathing covering or to encircle.

 Spite – desire to offend or annoy someone.

 Despondence disheartened, hopeless.

 Noble of superior quality, having high moral

principles

 Pall a cloud, here, a dark cloud of gloom and

sadness.

 Spirits the soul where lie our emotions and

character.

 Sprouting to develop suddenly in large

numbers.

 Shady boon a shade which is helpful to

someone.

 Rills streams of running water.

 Covert not openly known or displayed.

 Grandeur so as to impress.

 Dooms last day of existence.

  Immortal living forever.

 Heaven’s brink the door of God’s home.

List the things of beauty mentioned in the poem.

 The Sun

 The Moon

 Shady trees

 Beautiful daffodil flowers

 Streams of water

 Dense green bushes of forest ferns where

fragrant musk roses grow

 Tales of heroic men who sacrifice their lives

List the things that cause suffering and pain.

 Desire to offend others

 Hopelessness
  Lack of noble men

 Bad health

 Unhappiness

 Gloom

 Darkness

A Thing of Beauty Question Answers

Q. What does the line, “Therefore are we

wreathing a flowery band to bind us to earth

suggest to you?

A. It means that we get attached to the beautiful

things around us and weave a pretty band which

binds us with our life, it becomes the reason for us to

live.
 

Q. What makes human beings love life in spite of

troubles and sufferings?

A. The eternal beauty of various things gives us

happiness and relaxation. It makes us love life inspite

of life’s troubles and sufferings.

Q. Why is œgrandeur associated with the -

œmighty dead?

A. The noble deeds of the brave men who sacrificed

their lives are an inspiration for us forever. The

beautiful legacy of their bravery is the grandeur

which is associated with the mighty dead.

Q. Do we experience things of beauty only for

short moments or do they make a lasting

impression on us?

A. According to the poet, a thing of beauty is a joy

forever. Even if we see it for a few moments, it has a

lasting impression on us and its beautiful memory

stays with us forever. It inspires us to live, despite the

ruthlessness of life.

 
Q. What image does the poet use to describe the

beautiful bounty of the earth?

A. The beautiful bounty of the earth is described by -

œendless fountain of immortal drink- which signifies

that God bestows us with all his beautiful creations

which help us live despite the sad, gloomy aspects of

life.

Question 1.

List Hie things of beauty mentioned in the poem.

Answer:

The sun, the moon, the trees, daffodils, simple sheep,

clear rills, the mid forest brake, musk roses and the
mighty dead are some of the things of beauty

mentioned in the poem.

Question 2.

List the things that cause suffering and pain.

Answer:

The things that cause suffering and pain are gloomy

days. There is general depression among human beings.

There is lack of noble nature. But without the beautiful

things, our lives on this earth would have become

impossible.

Question 3.

What does the line, ‘Therefore, are we wreathing a

flowery band to bind us to earth’ suggest to you?

Answer:
There is so much disappointment and sadness on this

earth. There is lack of noble souls. But we are still living

on this earth. The poet says that our existence on the

earth is possible only due to some things of beauty.

Question 4.

What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles

and sufferings ?

Answer:

On this earth, man’s life is full of depression and

disappointment. There is general lack of truly noble

people. The shroud of disappointment is spread over

human souls. But a thing of beauty makes human

beings love life in spite of trouble and sufferings.

Question 5.

Why is ‘grandeur’ associated with the ‘mighty dead’ ?

Answer:

‘Mighty dead’ are those people who sacrificed their lives

for the sake of general good of mankind. Now they are

lying in their graves. The poet says that on the day of

judgement, they will be rewarded by God Himself for

their noble deeds. It is this grandeur or dignity that is

associated with ’mighty dead’.

Question 6.

Do we experience things of beauty only for short

moments or do they make a lasting impression on us ?

Answer:

As the title of the poem suggests that a thing of beauty

is a joy forever. The poet says that a thing of beauty

leaves a lasting impression on our minds. It never

passes into nothingness. Whenever we are sad or

disappointed, it is a thing of beauty that gives us some

sort of joy.

Question 7.

What image does the poet use to describe the beautiful

bounty of the earth ?

Answer:

The poet says that there are a number of things that

make the earth beautiful. These things are like a

fountain of immortal drink which is pouring unto us from

the heaven’s brink.

Question 8.

Mention any four things of beauty that add joy to our

life.

Answer:

The things of beauty that add joy to our life are the sun,

the moon, the trees, daffodils, simple sheep, clear rills,

the mid forest brake, musk roses and the mighty dead.

Question 9.

Mention any two things which cause pain and suffering.

Answer:

The things that cause suffering and pain are gloomy

days. There is general depression among human beings.

There is lack of noble nature. But for the beautiful

things, our lives on this earth would have become

impossible.

Question 10.

Which objects of nature does Keats mention as a thing

of beauty ?

Answer:

The things of nature that Keats mentions as things of

beauty are the sun, the moon, trees, simple sheep,

flowers like daffodils, clear rills and musk roses.

Question 11.

What does a thing of beauty do for us ?

Answer:

It is only because of things of beauty that we are able to

live on this earth. Otherwise there is so much grief on

this earth that it would have become impossible without

things of beauty.

Question 12.

How do beautiful things help us to live life ?

Answer:

The poet says that there is so much pain and suffering

on this earth. There is air of general disappointment.

The poet says it is only because of things of beauty that

we can live on this earth. Otherwise the life on this earth

would have become impossible.

Question 13.

What does Keats consider an endless fountain of

immortal drink and why does he call its drink immortal ?

Answer:
Keats considers all things of beauty,an endless fountain

of immortality. The poet says that there is so much

despondence and grief on this earth that but without a

thing of beauty our stay on this earth would have

become impossible.

Question 14.

According to Keats, what spreads the pall of

despondence over our dark spirits ? How is it removed?

Answer:

Keats says that there is general grief on this earth.

Man’s life is full of disappointment and sadness. It

appears as if a shroud of disappointment is spread over

our dark spirits. It is only some or the other things of

beauty that removes this pall of despondence.

Question 15.

How can ‘mighty dead’ be things of beauty ?

Answer:

The ‘mighty dead’ are those people who lay their lives

for the betterment of mankind. We read their stories and

it gives us immense joy. The poet says that these mighty

dead be rewarded by God Himself on the day of

judgement.

A Thing of Beauty Extra Questions and Answers Long

Answer Type

Question 1.

Write in brief the summary of this poem.

Answer:

The poet says that it is some thing of beauty that

provides joy forever. Then poet lists some things that

are source of beauty. He says the sun, the moon,

beautiful flowers, young trees and simple sheep are all

things of beauty. The poet says that there is so much

grief on this earth that the life would become impossible

without any thing of beauty. It is something or the other

thing of beauty that binds us to the earth.

Then the poet describes about the mighty dead of this

earth. These people have laid down their lives for the

sake of mankind. The poet says that they will get their

due reward on the day of judgement. The poet

compares the things of beauty with a fountain pouring

out immortal drink from the brink of heaven.

Question 2.

Write in brief the central idea of the poem.

Answer:

In this poem, the poet says that a thing of beauty is a joy

forever. He compares a thing of beauty with a bower,

where we can enjoy sweet sleep. Then the poet

mentions many things of beauty. He says that there is

so much grief and sadness on this earth that we can

sustain our life only because of the things of beauty.

He compares the things of beauty with ‘an endless

fountain of immortal drink pouring unto us from the

heaven’s brink’. In this way the poet underlines the fact

that we should preserve and take care of the things of

beauty. They are joy not for ourselves but also for our

coming generations.

A Thing of Beauty Extra Questions and Answers Stanza For

Comprehension

Stanza 1

Its loveliness increases, it will never

Pass into nothingness: but will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

Questions

(a) Whose loveliness will keep on increasing ?

(b) Identify the phrase which says that ‘it is immortal’.

(c) What is a bower ?

(d) Why do we need sweet dreams, health and quiet

breathing in our lives ?

Answers

(a) The loveliness of things of beauty will keep on

increasing.

(b) The phrase that says it is immortal is … never passes

into nothingness.

(c) It is a quiet and shady place.

(d) We need all these things so that we can enjoy the

things of beauty.

Stanza 2

Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing

A flowery band to bind us to the earth,

Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth

Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,

Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways

Made for our searching.

Questions

(a) Name the poem and the poet.

(b) What is the flowery band that binds us to the earth ?

(c) What does the poet mean by ‘spite of despondence’ ?

(d) What message is conveyed through these lines ?

Answers

(a) The name of the poem is ‘A Thing of Beauty and its

poet is John Keats.

(b) The flowery band here means things of beauty. It is

only because of the things of beauty that we can

continue to live on this earth.

(c) It means a lot of disappointment and sadness on the

earth.

(d) The message conveyed through these lines is that it

is only because of things of beauty that we are able to

live on this earth. Otherwise there is so much grief on

this earth that it would have become impossible without

things of beauty.

Stanza 3

Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways

Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,

Some shape of beauty moves away the pall

From our dark spirits.

Questions

(a) Name the poem and the poet.

(b) What is meant by ‘o’er darkened ways’ ?

(c) What does some shape of beauty do ?

(d) What idea is conveyed by these lines ?

Answers

(a) The name of the poem is ‘A Thing of Beauty’ and its

poet is John Keats.

(b) The o’er darkened ways’ means the mysterious

things that human beings fail to understand.

(c) It removes the shroud of sadness from our spirit.

(d) The poet means to say that only the things of beauty

make our life possible on this earth.

Stanza 4
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms

We have imagined for the mighty dead;

All lovely tales that we have heard or read;

An endless fountain of immortal drink,

Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.

Questions

(a) Name the poem and the poet.

(b) What have we imagined for the mighty dead ?

(c) Who are these mighty dead ?

(d) What lovely tales does the poet talk of ?

Answers

(a) The name of the poem is A Thing of Beauty’ and its

poet is John Keats.

(b) We have imagined that mighty dead would get due

reward of their deeds on the day of judgement.

(c) These mighty deads are those persons who have

sacrificed their lives for the sake of mankind.

(d) The poet talks of the tales of the bravery of the

mighty dead.