A Thing of Beauty
A joy for ever
Explain how beauty helps us in spite of suffering.
'A Thing of Beauty' is taken from the long poem 'Endymion' by the English Romantic poet John Keats. It begins with a famous line: 'A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.'
Keats says that a beautiful thing gives us joy that lasts for ever. Its loveliness increases with time; it will never pass into nothingness, never fade away.
Beauty keeps a quiet bower (a shady, peaceful place) for us, and gives us a sleep full of sweet dreams, health, and quiet breathing: it brings peace to body and mind.
Life is not easy. Keats admits there is much sorrow: despondence (low spirits), a dearth (lack) of noble people, gloomy days, and unhealthy, dark ways that we follow.
Yet, every morning, we are wreathing a 'flowery band' that binds us to the earth: the beauty we see each day ties us to life and makes it worth living.
In spite of all our troubles, some shape of beauty always moves away the pall (the dark cloud) from our dark spirits.
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