I think that Keats' ideas of mortality and immortality are best exemplified in his poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn". The entire poem is posed as a question, with Keats wondering who is being represented in the images, what events or actions are being immortalized. Nothing is known of the original artist, or the event he was trying to immortalize, but Keats admires the work, maybe even enjoying it more for not knowing. He states:
Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
The creator of the urn is long dead, leaving us no knowledge about who he was or the particulars of the tale he was trying to tell. Despite this, we can still appreciate the immortal beauty of his work, which is timeless and will never fade. I think that Keats, despite dying young, would appreciate the fact that his works are still celebrated centuries later.
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I never realized how many questions he poses util I read through it after I read your post.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea that Keats would relate his work to that of the Grecian Urn in the sense that, though he has passed, he lives on through his words. Thanks!