"Ode to a Nightingale"

Poetry | John Keats

"Ode to a Nightingale" Quotes

"Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!"

Explanation: This line emphasizes the eternal nature of the nightingale's song and its ability to transcend mortality.

“Away! away! for I will fly to thee,

Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,

But on the viewless wings of Poesy,”

Explanation: The speaker wants to fly to the nightingale, not through physical means like Bacchus’s wine-fueled celebrations, but by the spiritual power of poetry.

"Forlorn! the very word is like a bell." 

Explanation: This line conveys that the word "forlorn" has a melancholic and resonant quality. It illustrates the power of language in evoking emotions.

“Was it a vision, or a waking dream?

Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?”

Explanation: In these lines from John Keats' questions whether the experience of hearing the nightingale's music was a vivid vision or a dream and whether their current state is one of wakefulness or sleep.
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from John Keats