2. Introduction to the poet and poem

The poem "A thing of beauty" has been written by the famous poet John Keats.

 

John Keats was born in $1795$. He was a famous English poet who wrote poems mainly in the romance genre. He published his works at a tender age of $21$. His works were in publication only for four years when he lived - he passed on at a young age of $25$ (year 1821) due to tuberculosis disease. During his lifetime, his works received criticism; his works were later appreciated by the end of the $19th$ century. Keats used passionate emotions in his poem and the poetic device "imagery" extensively in his poetry.

 

His famous works include "Ode to a Nightingale", "Sleep and Poetry", and the famous sonnet "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer", and "Endymion".

 

*John Keats

 

 

Endymion is a poem published by Keats in the year $1818$, which consisted of about $1000$ lines of beautiful poetry, starting with "A thing of beauty is a joy forever". The first $24$ lines of the poem have been given here in the lesson. The poem is based on Endymion, a Greek Shepherd King and his love interest, the Moon goddess Selene. The $24$ lines here describe the beauty of various objects that we see around us - flowers, moon, sun, forests, and streams. How the beauty around us can bring joy in our lives, forms the essence of this poem.