NCERT Textbook: Poem 4 - A Thing of Beauty | English Class 12 PDF Download

 Page 1


A Thing of Beauty
About the poet
John Keats (1795-1821) was a British Romantic poet. Although 
trained to be a surgeon, Keats decided to devote himself wholly to 
poetry. Keats’ secret, his power to sway and delight the readers, 
lies primarily in his gift for perceiving the world and living his 
moods and aspirations in terms of language. The following is an 
excerpt from his poem ‘Endymion; A Poetic Romance’. The poem is 
based on a Greek legend, in which Endymion, a beautiful young 
shepherd and poet who lived on Mount Latmos, had a vision of 
Cynthia, the Moon Goddess. The enchanted youth resolved to 
seek her out and so wandered away through the forest and down 
under the sea.
Before you read
What pleasure does a beautiful thing give us? Are beautiful things worth 
treasuring?
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.
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. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
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Page 2


A Thing of Beauty
About the poet
John Keats (1795-1821) was a British Romantic poet. Although 
trained to be a surgeon, Keats decided to devote himself wholly to 
poetry. Keats’ secret, his power to sway and delight the readers, 
lies primarily in his gift for perceiving the world and living his 
moods and aspirations in terms of language. The following is an 
excerpt from his poem ‘Endymion; A Poetic Romance’. The poem is 
based on a Greek legend, in which Endymion, a beautiful young 
shepherd and poet who lived on Mount Latmos, had a vision of 
Cynthia, the Moon Goddess. The enchanted youth resolved to 
seek her out and so wandered away through the forest and down 
under the sea.
Before you read
What pleasure does a beautiful thing give us? Are beautiful things worth 
treasuring?
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.
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. Such the sun, the moon,
Trees old, and young, sprouting a shady boon
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils
3
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94/Flamingo
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,
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.
rills : small streams
brake : a thick mass of ferns
Think it out
1.   List the things of beauty mentioned in the poem.
2.   List the things that cause suffering and pain.
3.   What does the line, ‘Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us 
to earth’ suggest to you? 
4.   What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings?
5.   Why is ‘grandeur’ associated with the ‘mighty dead’?
6.   Do we experience things of beauty only for short moments or do they make 
a lasting impression on us?
7.   What image does the poet use to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth?
 Notice the consistency in rhyme scheme and line length. Also notice the 
balance in each sentence of the poem, as in,
 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,
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