Question

Which represents the best interpretation of this verse by John Keats? Excerpt from “Ode to a Nightingale” By John Keats 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 Charmed magic casements, opening on the foam Of perilous seas, in fairylands 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 famed to do, deceiving elf. Adieu! Adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades Past the near meadows, over the still stream, Up the hillside; 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 poet is expressing a love of nature. The poet is expressing a desire to return to a long-lost home. The poet is expressing his appreciation for nature. The poet is expressing a wish for immortality.

Answer 1

The poet is expressing a wish for immortality.

Step-by-step explanation:

John Keats's poem Ode to a Nightingale is about the poet's happiness in sharing in the happiness of the nightingale. The poem also deals with the theme of immortality, mortality, and death that the poet addresses.

The given excerpt from the poem is taken from the seventh stanza of the poem. In this stanza, the poet declares how the nightingale is immortal, for its song has been heard by emperors and clowns from generations past. This stanza seems to reveal the poet's desire to be immortal like the bird.

Thus, the correct answer is the fourth or last option.