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.