Poem

Ode to Fancy by John Keats

Reading and Discussion
Analysis
Literary Devices
Themes
 Analysis
Keats wrote his “Ode to Fancy” in the winters of 1818-1819 and it was
published in 1920. This is a very beautiful ode addressed to fancy or
imagination. This is the ode which leads us to the realms of imagination.
Keats praises highly the pleasures of imagination because it can bring to a
man all delights which cannot be found in ordinary life.
In his Ode to Fancy, Keats says that all seasons pass; 'spoilt by use', but
your imagination never fails you. He says that all seasons bring their own
charms but these charms fade away as the season fades away. Then,
comes winter when you 'sit by the ingle' and all is in a hush. At that time,
Keats urges us to 'send abroad' our fancy. Our imagination will lead us
back to the charms of the summer and the colors of spring.
Keats then describes in details what all you can
imagine to yourself:
'The daisy and the marigold; White-plum'd lillies,...'

'When the bee-hive casts its swarms; Acorns ripe

down-pattering, While the autumn breezes sing'

He then moves from seasons to a maiden. He says

that a maiden might grow old , but your imagination
need never to. In your imagination, you will find
'the maid/Whose lip mature is ever new?/Where's the
eye, however blue, doth not weary?'
The poet is trying to say is that everything in this world is
transient. Seasons pass and people age. The only thing that
defies the boundaries of time is Fancy. In your imagination,
you can celebrate spring while sitting on a winter hearth. When
everything looks gloomy and dark in the winters, your
imagination can lead you back to the brightness and warmth
of spring and summer.

In conclusion, “Poetry Fancy” is a beautiful and intricate poem

that explores the power of the imagination and the beauty of
poetry. It celebrates the transformative power of poetry and its
ability to transport us to another world. It also explores the
relationship between the poet and his audience, and the
responsibility that the poet has to create something that will
captivate and enchant them. Overall, “Poetry Fancy” is a
testament to the power of poetry to bring us together and to
help us understand the world around us.
 Figurative Language Used in the Poem
Line Figurative Language The Poetry

3 Hyperbole At a touch sweet Pleasure melteth,

4 Simile Like to bubbles when rain pelteth;

6 Alliteration, Personification Through the thought still spread beyond her:

7 Metaphor Open wide the mind's cage-door

8 Personification She'll dart forth, and cloudward soar.

9 Personification O sweet Fancy! let her loose;

14 Personification Blushing through the mist and dew,

18 Metaphor Spirit of a winter's night;
22 Metaphor When the Night doth meet the Noon
24 Metaphor, Personification, To banish Even from her sky.
27 Personification Fancy, high-commission'd:—send her!
28 Personification She has vassals to attend her:
29 Personification She will bring, in spite of frost,
30 Metaphor Beauties that the earth hath lost;
31 Personification She will bring thee, all together,
33 Metaphor All the buds and bells of May,
35 Metaphor All the heaped Autumn's wealth,
37 Personification She will mix these pleasures up
38 Simile Like three fit wines in a cup,
39 Repetition And thou shalt quaff it:—thou shalt hear
42 Metaphor, Personification Sweet birds antheming the morn:
45 Personification Or the rooks, with busy caw

52 Metaphor Sapphire queen of the mid-May;

54 Alliteration, Hyperbole Pearled with the self-same shower.

55 Personification Thou shalt see the field-mouse peep

64 Personification When the bee-hive casts its swarm;

66 Metaphor While the autumn breezes sing.

67 Personification Oh, sweet Fancy! let her loose;

77 Hyperbole At a touch sweet Pleasure melteth

78 Simile Like to bubbles when rain pelteth.

79 Metaphor Let, then, winged Fancy find

 Images
Home Bubbles Rain

Cage-door Spring Autum

Mist Dew Caked Snow

Night Noon Frost

Summer Sticks Harvest-Caro

Ploughboy Red-lipp’d fruitage Flower

Queen Eye Face

Leaf Sapphire Lillies

.
Themes

The Theme of Imagination and Creativity

The theme of imagination and creativity is central to "Fancy." Keats describes the power
of the human mind to create beauty and joy, even in the midst of pain and hardship. In
the first stanza, he writes:
Ever let the Fancy roam, Pleasure never is at home: At a touch sweet Pleasure
melteth, Like to bubbles when rain pelteth; Then let winged Fancy find Thee a
mistress to thy mind:
Here, Keats encourages the reader to let their imagination run wild and find pleasure in
the world of their own creation. He suggests that true pleasure cannot be found in
external sources, but must be conjured from within through the power of imagination.
 This theme is further developed in the second stanza, where Keats
describes a "bowery, unforbidden bliss" that can only be found in the
realm of the imagination. He writes:
Fancy, that hath led me oft, From my fillèd heart and soft, Spoken
something to my brain, Hath my lips not dared to feign. This is
certain, that I heard What I thought, or dreamed, or—erred.
Here, Keats suggests that the power of imagination is so strong that it
can even deceive the senses. He acknowledges that what he has heard
or dreamed may not be real, but still affirms the importance of the
creative process.
 The Beauty of Nature
Another important theme in "Fancy" is
the beauty of nature. Keats uses vivid
imagery to describe the natural world and
its ability to inspire the imagination. In the
third stanza, he writes:
Fancy, to thee the Adieu, Since it was thy
will to sue Meekly for a verse from me.
What I answer shall be free; Leave me, if
I scoff and jeer, For I still will follow thee.
Here, Keats personifies Fancy as a kind of
muse, urging the speaker to create poetry
inspired by the beauty of the natural
world. He suggests that the imagination is
most powerful when grounded in the
physical world, and that the two are
intimately connected.
This theme is further developed in the
final stanza, where Keats describes the
natural world as a source of endless
inspiration. He writes:
Still through the hawthorn blows the
cold wind, Says winter in his year. But
the heart of rosy spring Lives another
life within, And fondly loves the
gentle air.
Here, Keats contrasts the harshness of
winter with the beauty and vitality of
spring. He suggests that even in the
bleakest of seasons, the human
imagination can find joy and
inspiration in the natural world.
 Classwork
Q. Read the following verses. Explain how the poet uses language to convey meaning and to
create effect in these paragraphs. Choose three examples of words or phrases from each
paragraph to support your answer. Your choices should include the use of imagery.
Thou shalt see the field-mouse peep
Meagre from its celled sleep;
And the snake all winter-thin
Cast on sunny bank its skin;
Freckled nest-eggs thou shalt see
Hatching in the hawthorn-tree,
When the hen-bird's wing doth rest
Quiet on her mossy nest;
Then the hurry and alarm
When the bee-hive casts its swarm;
Acorns ripe down-pattering,
While the autumn breezes sing.
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