Ode on a Grecian Urn -By John Keats

Ode on a Grecian Urn

        -By John Keats

Thou still unravish’d bride of quietness,

Thou foster-child of silence and slow time,

Sylvan historian, who canst thus express

A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:

What leaf-fring’d legend haunts about thy shape

Of deities or mortals, or of both,

In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?

What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?

What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?

What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?

Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard

Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;

Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear’d,

Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:

Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave

Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;

Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,

Though winning near the goal yet, do not grieve;

She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,

For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!

Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed

Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu;

And, happy melodist, unwearied,

For ever piping songs for ever new;

More happy love! more happy, happy love!

For ever warm and still to be enjoy’d,

For ever panting, and for ever young;

All breathing human passion far above,

That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy’d,

A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.

Who are these coming to the sacrifice?

To what green altar, O mysterious priest,

Lead’st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,

And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?

What little town by river or sea shore,

Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,

Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn?

And, little town, thy streets for evermore

Will silent be; and not a soul to tell

Why thou art desolate, can e’er return.

O Attic shape! Fair attitude! with brede

Of marble men and maidens overwrought,

With forest branches and the trodden weed;

Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought

As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!

When old age shall this generation waste,

Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe

Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st,

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

Bengali Translation

 

ওড টু দ্যা গ্রিসিয়ান আর্ন – বাংলা অনুবাদ

শান্ত অচঞ্চল কুমারী তুমি এখনো অধর্ষিত;

নীরবতার এবং নিশ্চল সময়ের পালিত জাতক তুমি।

গ্রাম্য ঐতিহাসিক, যে পারে না প্রকাশিতে

মাধুরীতে পল্লবিত গল্প আমাদের মত সুমিষ্ট ছন্দেঃ

কোকড়ানো পাতায় উৎকীর্ণ উপকথা জায়গা করে নেয় আকৃতিতে

অমরণশীল, মানুষ অথবা উভয়ের।

এ কি মন্দির না কি আর্কেডি উপত্যকা?

এরা কি মানুষ না দেবতা? না কুমারী লাজুক লতা

কী পাগলপারা? পালাবার তরে কত সংগ্রাম?

কোন বাঁশি আর ঢোল? কোন বন্য উচ্ছাস?

২

শ্রুত সুর যে মধুর! আর যে অশ্রুত

সুমধুর, তারপরও সে স্নিগ্ধ বাঁশি বেজে চলে।

পার্থিব কানে নয়, শুনি অন্তরে অন্তরে,

বাজাও বাশি সুরহারা সুরে।

বৃক্ষতলে হে সুন্দর তরুন, যেতে পারবে না

ছেড়ে তোমার গান, আর খালিও হবে না এ বৃক্ষতল;

সাহসী প্রেমিক, পারবে না কভু তাকে চুমিতে,

লক্ষের কাছে গিয়েও পারবে না লক্ষকে ছুতে, দুঃখ কর না,

সুধা পাওনি বলে, শুকাবে না সে,

আজীবন ভালবাসবে তুমি, সেও সজীব রবে যে!

৩

আহা উল্লসিত তরুশাখা, তোমাদের পাতা ঝরাতে পারবে না,

তোমাদের বসন্ত কভু বিদায় নেবে না।

হে সুখী বংশীবাদক বাজাও ক্লান্তিহীন,

বাজাও বাঁশি চির নতুন, বাজাও চিরদিন।

আরও সুখী প্রেম, আরও আরও সুখী!

চির উষ্ণ প্রেম, তুমি উপযোগী।

শাশ্বত সতেজ তুমি শাশ্বত কাল,

সকল জৈব প্রেম ঝরে যায় সকাল

রেখে যায় হৃদয়েতে দুঃখের দহন,

জ্বলন্ত ললাট আর শুষ্ক জিহবা তৃষ্ণার্ত সঙ্গীন।

৪

বিসর্জন দিতে আসে কেবা, কেবা এই দিক?

সবুজ বেদীতে আসে কোন পুরোহিত?

সাথে লয়ে গো-বাছুর, দৃষ্টি যার স্বর্গ পানে যায়,

মাল্য শোভা, রেশমী দেহে আলো ঝলমলায়।

ছোট ছোট কোন সে শহর নদী-সাগর তীরে,

মাথা উচু পাহাড় আবার দুর্গ দ্বারা ঘিরে।

জনশূন্য মনে হয় আজ পুণ্য এ প্রভাতে,

সব সময়ই এ শহরের বিস্তৃত সব পথে

নীরব রবে সম্পূর্ণ, জানবে না কেউ কখনো,

কেন তুমি এমন বিরান, কেউ আসে না (এখানে) ফিরে।

৫

হে রম্য পাত্র! পবিত্র ভঙ্গিমা

মার্বেলের মানুষগুলো কুমারী প্রতিমা ।

বৃক্ষ শাখায়, লতা পাতায় মধিত হয়ে,

স্তব্ধ থেকে, আমাদেরক রাখ অস্থির করে।

অনন্ত কালের তুমি, কালের শীতল স্রোতে!

বার্ধক্যে এ প্রজন্ম যাবে ধ্বংস হতে।

কিন্তু তুমি থাকবে ঠিকই অন্যদেরও মাঝে,

আমাদের বন্ধু ছিলে এবার থাকবে অন্যদেরও কাছে।

বলল্বে তুমি, ‘সুন্দরই সত্য, সত্যই সুন্দর’,

পৃথিবীতে এই সত্য; এই জানার ।

Q1: What type of bride does the poet declare the Urn?

Answer: The poet declares the Um a bride that is safe and sound from the ups and downs of routine of life.

Q2.Why does the poet call Urn a historian?

Answer: The poet calls the Un a historian because it is taking whole history in itself in the form of picture for countless.

Q3:What does the poet calculate from the group of the people?

Answer: The poet calculates from the group of the people that they may be going to an expedition, he is not sure about the reason of that gathering.

Q4: What does Keats think about the building carved on the Urn?

Answer: Keats thinks that the building carved on the Urn may be a temple to which the people are going to present sacrifices.

Q5: What are the mad pursuits doing in the picture on the Urn?

Answer: The mad pursuits are chasing the maids in the picture on the Urn the maids are trying to save themselves from gallants.

Q6: What are the musicians in the picture doing?

Answer: The musicians are playing gay tunes on their pipe in the picture, they seem to singing

Q7: What does the poet say to the musicians?

Answer: The poet says to the musicians to go on playing their pipes so that they may entertain the visitors forever.

Q8: What does the poet think about the permanence of the scene on the Urn?

Answer: The poet thinks that the music, musicians, trees, and the people in the picture on the Urn will never disappear; they will remain doing the same act for ever.

Q9: What does Keats say about the lovers in the picture?

Answer: Keats says that the lovers and their beloved ones will remain forever. The lovers will never catch their young beloveds.

 Q10. What is the Keats’ idea about the trees in the picture?

Answer: Keats’s idea about trees in the picture is that the branches will never decay, it need not fear of autumn season.

Q11. What does the poet think about the destination of the group?

Answer:  The poet thinks that the destination of the group is some sacred place, he calculates it from the belles, gallants, bishop and garlands in their hands.

Q12.What is poet’s idea about the village?

Answer: The poet thinks that the village is situated on the shore any sea or at the bank of a river. He also thinks the of village a fort

Q13. What will be in the village forever?

Answer: The village will face silence and devastation forever because the people are out of it

Summary:

“Ode on a Grecian Urn” was written by the influential English poet John Keats in 1819. It is a complex, mysterious poem with a disarmingly simple set-up: an undefined speaker looks at a Grecian urn, which is decorated with evocative images of rustic and rural life in ancient Greece. These scenes fascinate, mystify, and excite the speaker in equal measure—they seem to have captured life in its fullness, yet are frozen in time. The speaker’s response shifts through different moods, and ultimately the urn provokes questions more than it provides answers. The poem’s ending has been and remains the subject of varied interpretation. The urn seems to tell the speaker—and, in turn, the reader—that truth and beauty are one and the same. Keats wrote this poem in a great burst of creativity that also produced his other famous odes (e.g. “Ode to a Nightingale”). Though this poem was not well-received in Keats’ day, it has gone on to become one of the most celebrated in the English language.

Theme:

The poem’s central theme is the transient nature of human existence. The scenes on the urn evoke stories of romantic pursuit and religious ceremony. In reality, such scenes come to pass in brief moments. The urn provides a space where such stories can be frozen and made essential. Thus the poem itself is a kind of urn. The poem pulls images, figures, and ideas from the ceaseless flow of life and distills them for study and reflection. One could then say that another of Keats’s themes is the value of art in offering a space for timeless reflection. As the poem’s final lines claim, pure aesthetic experience is in itself the source of all truth: “‘Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty’. Thus urns and poems invite us to encounter real beauty.

Symbols:

Grecian Urn: The central symbol of the poem is the Grecian urn itself. It represents a timeless work of art frozen in time, capturing a moment of beauty forever. The urn symbolizes the enduring power of art to transcend the limitations of mortality.

Cold Pastoral: The phrase “Cold Pastoral” symbolizes the idea that the scenes on the urn lack the warmth and vitality of real life.

Heard Melodies: The unheard melodies on the urn symbolize the idea that some experiences and emotions are more profound when they remain unexpressed or unfulfilled.

Sylvan historian: This phrase symbolizes the urn as a silent storyteller or historian of the past, preserving moments and stories for future generations.

Beauty and Truth: Throughout the poem, there’s a tension between the idealized beauty of the scenes on the urn and the harsh truths of life. This symbolizes the contrast between the perfect world of art and the imperfect, transient world of reality.

Literary Devices 

Imagery: Keats uses vivid imagery to paint a picture of the scenes depicted on the urn, allowing readers to visualize the frozen moments in time.

Symbolism: The urn itself is a symbol of timeless beauty and art. It represents the permanence of art compared to the fleeting nature of human life.

Personification: Keats personifies the urn, addressing it as if it were a living being with thoughts and feelings, which adds depth to the poem.

Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds in words, such as in “Thou still unravish’d bride of quietness,” creates a musical quality in the poem.

Metaphor: The lines “Beauty is truth, truth beauty” can be seen as a metaphorical statement about the nature of art and beauty, suggesting they are inseparable.

Hyperbole: Keats uses exaggerated language to emphasize the enduring nature of the scenes on the urn, describing them as “Forever warm and still to be enjoyed.”

Key Facts

• Author: John Keats (1795-1821)
• Original Title: “Ode on a Grecian Urn”
• Title of the Author: The Poet of Beauty
• Written Date: May 1819.
• Published Date: Anonymously in Annals of the Fine Arts for 1819
• Form: Five 10-line stanzas
• Meter: Iambic Pentameter
• Tone: Melancholic
• Genre: Ode
• Total Lines: 50
• Stanzas: 5
• Rhyme Scheme: abab (cdedce) (last six lines vary from stanza to stanza; never couplets)
• Time Setting: May 1819
• Place Setting: John Keats is set in an ancient Greek scene, with the urn as the central focus