A Thing Of Beauty by John Keats - NCERT - Explanation

The poem "A Thing Of Beauty" is written by John Keats, a famous Romantic poet. Keats died at a young age who wanted to see himself become a great poet and he achieved it.
The poem is an excerpt from the Keats' "Endymion: A Poetic Romance". It deals with the poet cherishing the beautiful objects which give pleasure to the on-lookers. Certainly, he hails these natural creations of God which relieve us from all distresses.

Keats hails the things whose beauty mesmerize the on-lookers and its impact will last long for a long time because we can imagine the pleasure of something beautiful long after in our mind. So it will be alive in our memories.

A shade of a tree gives coolness and rest to one who comes under its hood. The cherished beauty will ensure peace of mind in a person and he/she will have a sound sleep full of joyous dreams. With it, his health will also improve due to peaceful mind away from distresses. One will breathe fresh air in the lap of flora.

Then Keats says that we are not paying enough gratitude to our mother earth, he encourages us to wreathe our earth with a "flowery band." He emphasizes that we must be attached to the earth. Despite having immense desperation, the paucity of noble nature in people and as the gloomy and sad days are inevitable and the prevalence of "unhealthy" and "over-darkened ways" in our world.

In spite of all these negativities, some exquisite scene of a natural object can relieve all our worries and distress in that moment. It freshens our soul and put away dark spirits from our body and the mind. The natural phenomena led by the sun and the moon, young and old trees give "shady boon" i.e. shade which eases the simple beings such as sheeps.

Same as the case with daffodils which along with its golden colours and greenery it spreads. Small streams soothe everything facing hardship due to hot season. In the mid-forest, the scene of ferns along with musk-rose blooms to its full beauty is again the beautiful sight which has a fruitful impact on the onlookers.

As we have always imagined great people who have died and the "grandeur" of the world of the dead. The lovely stories we have heard from our elders or read somewhere. All these rejoicing things are the gifts from the God who resides in heaven and Keats compares these gifts with "an endless fountain of immortal drink" poured on us from heaven.