Ode on a Grecian urn by John Keats

Ode on a Grecian urn by John Keats

Paraphrase

You, that are pure, quiet and eternal, and that can express a tale sweetly than our rhymes, what are the images on your surface? Who are the men? What are they doing? Where are they?

The memory of experience is a positive thing, but the spirit experiences are better. So continue to play, gentle pipes, not to the ear, but to the spirit, mute melodies. Fair youth, you will sing your song forever as those trees will be not ever bare. Even though you have almost reached the goal, don't worry, because she will be beautiful forever and you will love her always.

Happy evergreen branches, happy musician playing always news songs you will be always happy! Forever in the moment that precedes happiness; passions leave always painful and satisfying.

Who are these coming to the sacrifice? Where the mysterious priest leads the cow decorated with wreaths? Which sea or river town is so deserted this morning?

We feel lost in front of this Grecian urn as in front of eternity. When this generation will disappear, you will remain saying: "Beauty is truth, truth is beauty, that is all you know about earth, and is all you need to know".

Translation

Tu ancora inviolata sposa della tranquillità,

Tu, lia adottiva del silenzio e del lento tempo,

Storica silvestre, che puoi così esprimere

Una storia fiorita più dolcemente che la nostra rima:

Che leggenda ornata di foglie copre la tua forma

Di dei o mortali, o di entrambi

In Tempe o le valli dell'Arcadia?

Che uomini o dei sono questi? Che donzelle ritrose?

Che folle inseguimento? Che lotta per scappare?

Che flauti e tamburelli? Che estasi selvaggia?

I ricordi uditi sono dolci, ma quelli non uditi

Sono più dolci; pertanto, o voi soavi flauti, continuate a suonare;

Non all'orecchio corporeo, ma, più accattivanti,

Suonate allo spirito melodie senza suono

Leggiadro giovane, sotto gli alberi, tu non puoi lasciare

La tua canzone, né possono mai quegli alberi essere spogli;

Audace Amante, mai, tu non puoi mai baciare,

Sebbene tu abbia quasi raggiunto la meta, non affliggerti,

Ella non può sbiadire sebbene tu non abbia la tua felicità;

Per sempre l'amerai, ed ella sarà bella!

Ah, felici, felici rami! che non potete perdere

Le vostre foglie, ne mai dire addio alla Primavera;

E, felice melodista inesausto,

Per sempre suonando canzoni sempre nuove;

Più felice amore! più felice, felice amore!

Per sempre caloroso ed ancora da essere goduto,

Per sempre anelante, e per sempre giovane;

Di ogni palpitante passione umana molto al di sopra

Questa (la passione) lascia un cuore molto addolorato e apato,

Una fronte ardente, e una lingua secca.

Chi sono questi che vengono al sacrificio?

A che altare verde, O sacerdote misterioso,

Conduci tu quella giovenca muggendo ai cieli,

E tutti I suoi fianchi di seta adornati con ghirlande?

Che paesino accanto al fiume o alla riva del mare,

O costruita su una montagna con una pacifica cittadella,

E' svuotata di queste persone, questa pia mattina?

E, paesino, le tue strade per sempre

Saranno silenziose; e nè un'anima per raccontare

Perché tu sei vuota, può mai ritornare.

O forma Attica! In armoniosa linea! con ricamo

Di uomini e donne di marmo ornata,

Con rami di foresta e calpestata erba;

Tu, forma silenziosa, ci rapisci al di là del nostro pensiero

Come l'eternità: Fredda Pastorale!

Quando la vecchia età questa generazione distruggerà,

Tu rimarrai, in mezzo ai dolori diversi

Dei nostri, un amico per l'uomo, a cui tu dici,

"La bellezza è verità, la verità bellezza, questo è tutto (ciò che)

Tu sai sulla terra, e tutto (ciò che) tu hai bisogno sapere".

Rhyme scheme

The poem is divided in 5 stanzas of 10 lines. Each stanza is made up of  two parts: a quatrain and a sestet. This permits the poet to divide each stanza in two parts where he describes different things. For example, in lines 1-4, he introduces the poem and in the next sestet he asks some questions. The rhyme scheme is regular. In particular the first stanza is ABABCDEDCE, the second ABABCDECED, the third and the fourth are sonnet and the last one is ABABCDEDFE. In this one there is a irregularity. This underlines the 49^th line that is the most important of the poem, in fact it expresses poet'mind: he identifies beauty and truth as the only type of knowledge about Earth.

The most significant examples of alliterations and assonance are: "t" on lines 15, 16, 31, 33; "s" on line 35; "m" on line 42; "o" on lines 6, 44.

Rhetorical devices

FIRST STANZA: there are 3 metaphors: "unravish'd bride of quietness" on line 1, "foster-child of silence and slow time" on line 2, "Sylvan historian" on line 3. They describe the main features of the urn: peace, quietness, eternity. "Sylvan historian" is also a personification.

SECOND STANZA: begins with a paradox: "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard/ are sweeter" on lines 11-l2. It means that the memory of experience is a positive thing, but the spirit experiences are better. After the poet talks about  the "Bold Lover" on line 17. He symbolises eternal desire, since he will never able to kiss the girl, because the image is frozen on the surface of the urn.

THIRD / FOURTH STANZA: These two stanzas differs for the semantic field: before positive and then negative. In fact passions are the theme of the 3^rd stanza, sadness and desolation of the four^th.

FIFTH STANZA: it contains the result of the poet'reflection on beauty.

Analysis

In this poem, the poet describes a Grecian urn, and through this he expresses his mind. In particular he describes three sides of the urn: the first coincide with second stanza, the second with the third and so on. The common ground of these sides is the eternity of the pictures. Instead they differ for the mean that is represented: respectively touch, hearing and sight.

In the third side there it is also a reference to the four elements: "Skies" on line 33 is an element of air. Instead, the elements of land are: "sea shore" on line 35 and "mountain" on line 36. At the end, there is only a water's element: "river" on line 35. The fire could be found in the blood of the heifer that will be sacrificed.

The aim of the poem is to exalt the beauty of art. In fact, the beauty of the urn will remain eternal, while the beauty of human beings certainly will decay. So, the very important kind of beauty isn't physical one, but it is spiritual one. Moreover, Keats underlines the importance of art, as a way for men to become eternal and to be remembered by mankind after death.