Question

In this verse from “Ode to a Nightingale,” what does the speaker say that the bird has never known and that he himself would like to forget?

illness and recovery
aging and sadness
beauty and love
hair and eyes

Answer 1

Hi,

In this verse from "Ode to a Nightingale," the speaker says that the bird has never known "beauty and love", and that he himself would like to forget. The speaker expresses a longing to escape from the world of human emotions and desires, and seeks solace in the blissful ignorance of the nightingale. The bird's lack of knowledge about beauty and love symbolizes its pure and untainted existence, contrasting with the speaker's own burdened consciousness.

By mentioning beauty and love, the speaker highlights the pain and complexities associated with human experiences. The nightingale serves as a symbol of freedom from the emotional weight that the speaker wishes to escape. The desire to forget beauty and love suggests a desire to escape the challenges and disappointments that come with these emotions.

Overall, this verse explores themes of escapism and the contrasting experiences of the nightingale and the speaker. The bird's ignorance of beauty and love represents a state of blissful innocence that the speaker longs to attain.

I hope that this helped you. :)

Answer 2

B. Aging and Sadness

In the verse from "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats, the speaker says that the bird has never known "aging and sadness." The full line from the poem is:

"Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!

No hungry generations tread thee down;

The voice I hear this passing night was heard

In ancient days by emperor and clown:

Perhaps the self-same song that found a path

Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,

She stood in tears amid the alien corn;

The same that oft-times hath

Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam

Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.

Forlorn! the very word is like a bell

To toll me back from thee to my sole self!

Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well

As she is fam'd to do, deceiving elf.

Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades

Past the near meadows, over the still stream,

Up the hill-side; and now 'tis buried deep

In the next valley-glades:

Was it a vision, or a waking dream?

Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?"

The speaker admires the bird's immortal and carefree nature, contrasting it with the human condition of aging and sadness. The desire to forget about aging and sadness suggests the speaker's longing for an escape from the burdens of mortality and the struggles of human existence.

I hope this helped!

~~~Harsha~~~