"Ode on a Grecian Urn" : Summary

Summary

Inspiration for Writing the Poem: “Ode on a Grecian Urn” is a remarkable poem by John Keats. It was published in 1819. In this poem, the poet makes a comparison between art and life. John Keats visited this Grecian Urn in a Museum in London and was impressed by its craftsmanship, so wrote this poem.

Description of Grecian Urn: In the poem’s first stanza, the poet describes the Grecian Urn. The poet described the Grecian Urn as silent, sacred, and never grows old with time. The images engraved on the Grecian Urn narrate history. He wondered whether these pictures were of a God or a human being.

Description of a picture painted on the Grecian Urn: In the second stanza, the poet talks about a picture painted on the Grecian Urn. In the picture, a young boy sits under a tree playing the flute. The ear of the poet cannot hear the sound of that flute. However, this unheard melody fascinates the poet a lot. The poet then says this young man will never stop playing his flute. No, the boyfriend can kiss his girlfriend because they are just pictures. But the lover need not be sad because the love of this lover and the beauty of his lover is eternally fresh, will never end.

Description of Perpetual Environment: The poet talks about trees in the third stanza. The leaves of this tree never fall. And spring will not end here. The music of the flute will always be new. The love of a lover is eternal. None of them have any humanitarian needs.

Depicting the situation in the village: In the fourth stanza, the poet talks about the third picture painted on the urn where the villagers have gathered to sacrifice a calf. There is silence in the whole village now. But no one is living to tell him the reason for this silence.

Immortality of Grecian Urn: In the fifth stanza, the poet talks about the immortality of Grecian Urn. When the generation of poets is lost to time, this Grecian Urn will live on. The poet says that the Grecian Urn