Poems by Milton - On Time XII-Elective English

Portrait of Milton, c. 1629

Poems by Milton - On Time XII-Elective English

Summary of the Poem

“On Time,” by the English poet John Milton (1608-1674), deals with one of the most common themes in all of medieval or Renaissance literature: the theme of mutability, or the idea that life on earth is full of constant (and mainly negative) change. The inevitable passage of time was a particularly painful example of such change, especially since it ultimately involved physical deterioration and then, eventually, physical death. Milton’s poem is a response to such gradual but certain decay. Like many other writers of his era (an era dominated by Christian thinking), Milton emphasized that humans can escape the ravages of time by attaining an eternal life in heaven that is full of joy.

Line 1 begins with the vigorous verb “Fly” (that is, “flee”), which immediately asserts the speaker’s vigor and self-confidence. Rather than being intimidated by time, he attacks and mocks it (much as John Donne attacks and mocks a personified Death in his Holy Sonnet X). Time is “envious,” a word which in Milton’s era mainly meant being hateful, malignant, and/or spiteful. But perhaps it also here suggests that Time, which is limited and bound to end, envies human beings, who are capable of existing eternally. In any case, by personifying time as “Time,” Milton makes it almost seem a living thing—an assertion which already implies a bit of irony since he soon suggests that Time will die. Time, in this poem, seems not merely an abstract philosophical concept; it is a malevolent, active being whom one must resist and defeat. The speaker, however, immediately implies that he feels no fear of Time; from the very first line, he suggests that Time is fated to suffer death.

Line 2 shows Milton’s talent for using sound effects. In this case, the effects involve not only alliteration (repetition of similar consonant sounds) but also assonance (repetition of similar vowel sounds), as in the repetition here of “l’s” and short “e’s”: “Call on the lazy leaden-stepping hours.” Having already mentioned the word “race” in line 1 (a word implying speed), the speaker now implies (through the use of the particular adjectives here) that Time moves very slowly. It is as if the speaker feels contempt for the “lazy leaden-stepping hours,” as if he is almost eager for Time to run its race as quickly as possible.

Line 3 once more emphasizes the slowness of Time by comparing its movement, appropriately enough, to that of a “plummet” (or weight) in a clock, which slowly descends and thus powers the time-piece.

Line 4 implies that Time is a kind of crude glutton, eager to consume living things and then digest them in its stomach (or “womb”). It is as if Time has now become a huge, personified gut—a kind of mindless, all-consuming stomach. Here again, then, the tone is completely contemptuous.

Line 5 again speaks of Time contemptuously, suggesting that what it greedily devours is in any case worthless, so that Time seems not only crude but also stupid. Time is willing to...(to be updated later)

Q. In the poem "On Time" by John Milton, why has the poet pitted the flight of Time against the "lazy leaden-stepping hours" and "the heavy Plummets pace"?

Answer:

Milton is contrasting the seeming speed of life as it flies by and is finished to the seeming long length of individual days. He is also contrasting the ultimate end of human life with the ultimate annihilation of Time.

Fly envious Time, till thou run out thy race,
Call on the lazy leaden-stepping hours,
Whose speed is but the heavy Plummets pace;

The first line quoted here carries a Biblical allusion to the Christian notion that Time will eventually end, "till thou run out thy race," when Earth, space and time cease to exist at the end of the world, a time when a New Heaven and a New Earth without the limits of Time is expected. He defies Time's control over individual human lives in the words "Fly ... Time." The poetic narrator (presumably Milton himself) is mocking Time for two reasons. First, though life rushes past, each day has a "lazy leaden-" pace that goes only as fast as a lead weight, "Plummet." Second, Time will cease to be, "thy greedy self consum'd," but humans' lives will end in the long eternal "bliss" of unity with God:

And last of all, thy greedy self consum'd,
Then long Eternity shall greet our bliss
With an individual kiss;
And Joy shall overtake us as a flood,

In summary, Milton has developed a wonderful metaphoric paradox for understanding Time as something that is both too fast and yet prolonged: the whole is too fast but the individual parts are preciously slow. Milton further "pitted the flight of Time against the 'lazy leaden-stepping hours' and 'the heavy Plummets pace'" as a mark of defiance against the quickly spent short course of life and as a celebration of the eternal blissful life that is to follow.

Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats - Summary - Line by Line Explanation Q&A Solved

Poem - Ode to a Nightingale -XI Elective Poetry

• Summary of the poem Ode to Nightingale by John Keats
• line-by-line paraphrase of John Keats' Ode to a Nightingale:
  
• UNDERSTANDING THE POEM (Q&A)
• TRY THIS OUT (Q&A)
• Important Questions on the Poem Ode to Nightingale by John Keats

Summary

The poem Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats begins as the speaker starts to feel disoriented from listening to the song of the nightingale, as if he had just drunk something very strong. He feels bitter sweet happiness at the thought of the nightingale's carefree life.

The speaker wishes he had a special wine distilled directly from the earth. He wants to drink such a wine and fade into the forest with the nightingale. He wants to escape the worries and concerns of life, age, and time.

He uses poetry to join the nightingale's nighttime world, deep in the dark forest where hardly any moonlight can reach. He can't see any of the flowers or plants around him, but he can smell them. He thinks it wouldn't be so bad to die at night in the forest, with no one around except the nightingale singing.

But the nightingale can't die. The nightingale must be immortal, because so many different kinds of generations of people have heard its song throughout history, everyone from clowns and emperors to Biblical characters to people in fantasy stories.

The speaker's vision is interrupted when the nightingale flies away and leaves him alone. He feels abandoned and disappointed that his imagination is not strong enough to create its own reality. He is left confused and bewildered, not knowing the difference between reality and dreams.

line-by-line paraphrase of John Keats' Ode to a Nightingale:

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains	My heart feels heavy, and I am overcome by a feeling of numbness.
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,	It feels as if I’ve drunk poison, like hemlock, which dulls my senses.
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains	Or consumed a drug that has taken away all my energy and awareness.
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:	Just a moment ago, I felt as if I was sinking into forgetfulness, like the river Lethe.
’Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,	It’s not because I envy your happiness, Nightingale,
But being too happy in thine happiness,—	But because I am almost too happy, sharing in your joy.
That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees,	You, airy creature of the trees, like a forest spirit,
In some melodious plot	Sing in a beautiful and harmonious place,
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,	Among the green beech trees, in endless shadows,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.	Singing of the summer with a voice that is effortlessly full of life.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
O, for a draught of vintage! that hath been	Oh, how I long for a drink of fine wine,
Cool’d a long age in the deep-delvèd earth,	Which has been cooled deep in the earth for many years,
Tasting of Flora and the country green,	With the taste of flowers and the fresh countryside,
Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!	And the happiness of dancing, music, and sunlit joy from Provence.
O for a beaker full of the warm South,	I wish for a cup filled with the warmth of the southern lands,
Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,	Filled with the real, rosy-colored fountain of poetic inspiration,
With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,	With bubbles of wine sparkling at the edge of the cup,
And purple-stained mouth;	Staining my lips purple as I drink,
That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,	So that I might drink and leave the world behind,
And with thee fade away into the forest dim:	And disappear into the dim forest with you, Nightingale.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget	To fade away and dissolve, completely forgetting
What thou among the leaves hast never known,	The pain and suffering that you, Nightingale, never experience among the leaves,
The weariness, the fever, and the fret	The exhaustion, illness, and worry
Here, where men sit and hear each other groan;	Here on earth, where people sit in misery and listen to each other’s groans,
Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last gray hairs,	Where trembling hands shake the last sad gray hairs of the old,
Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies;	Where young people grow pale, become thin like ghosts, and die;
Where but to think is to be full of sorrow	Where even thinking leads to sorrow,
And leaden-eyed despairs,	And despair weighs down on us, making our eyes heavy,
Where Beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes,	Where even Beauty cannot retain her bright and shining eyes,
Or new Love pine at them beyond to-morrow.	And new love fades away before tomorrow comes.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Away! away! for I will fly to thee,	Go away, go away! I will come to you,
Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,	Not carried by Bacchus, the god of wine, and his wild companions,
But on the viewless wings of Poesy,	But on the invisible wings of poetry,
Though the dull brain perplexes and retards:	Even though my mind is slow and confused.
Already with thee! tender is the night,	I am already with you, Nightingale! The night is gentle,
And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,	And perhaps the moon, like a queen, is sitting on her throne,
Cluster’d around by all her starry Fays;	Surrounded by her stars like little fairies.
But here there is no light,	But here, where I am, there is no light,
Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown	Except for the light that the wind occasionally blows down from the sky,
Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways.	Through the green shadows and winding, mossy paths of the forest.

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Line from Poem	Paraphrase
I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,	I cannot see the flowers at my feet,
Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,	Nor what gentle fragrances are in the air around me,
But, in embalmed darkness, guess each sweet	But in this perfumed darkness, I can guess each sweet scent,
Wherewith the seasonable month endows	With which the month of May fills the air
The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild;	The grass, the bushes, and the wild fruit trees,
White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;	The white hawthorn and the sweetbriar;
Fast fading violets cover’d up in leaves;	The violets that are fading and hidden by leaves;
And mid-May’s eldest child,	And the first-born flowers of mid-May,
The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine,	The musk rose that’s coming soon, filled with dew like wine,
The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.	Where bees and flies will hum on summer evenings.

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Darkling I listen; and, for many a time	I listen in the darkness, and many times before,
I have been half in love with easeful Death,	I have been almost in love with the idea of peaceful death,
Call’d him soft names in many a musèd rhyme,	I’ve given death gentle names in my thoughtful poetry,
To take into the air my quiet breath;	Hoping he would come and take my quiet breath away;
Now more than ever seems it rich to die,	Now, more than ever, it feels like it would be a blessing to die,
To cease upon the midnight with no pain,	To peacefully die at midnight without feeling pain,
While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad	While you, Nightingale, are singing your heart out,
In such an ecstasy!	In such a state of blissful ecstasy!
Still wouldst thou sing, and I have ears in vain—	You would keep singing, but I would no longer be able to hear it—
To thy high requiem become a sod.	I would become a lifeless body, like the earth, as you sing your heavenly song.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!	You, Nightingale, were not born to die; you are an immortal creature!
No hungry generations tread thee down;	No generations of humans can wear you down or destroy you;
The voice I hear this passing night was heard	The song I hear tonight has been heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:	By both kings and common people in ancient times;
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path	Maybe it’s the same song that reached the ears
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,	Of Ruth, who felt homesick and sad in a foreign land,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;	And cried while standing among foreign crops;
The same that oft-times hath	The same song that has often
Charm’d magic casements, opening on the foam	Enchanted windows, opening out to the sea’s foam,
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.	Of dangerous seas, in magical and forgotten lands.

---

Line from Poem	Paraphrase
Forlorn! the very word is like a bell	Forlorn! The very sound of that word feels like a bell
To toll me back from thee to my sole self!	Bringing me back from you, Nightingale, to my lonely self!
Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well	Goodbye! My imagination cannot deceive me anymore,
As she is fam’d to do, deceiving elf.	As she is known for doing, like a tricky spirit.
Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades	Goodbye, goodbye! Your sad song fades away
Past the near meadows, over the still stream,	Beyond the nearby meadows, over the still waters,
Up the hill-side; and now ’tis buried deep	Up the hillside; and now it’s buried deep
In the next valley-glades:	In the distant valleys.
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?	Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?	The music has fled: Am I awake or asleep?

---

UNDERSTANDING THE POEM (Q&A)

1. How does the nightingale’s song plunge the poet into a state of ecstasy?
   The nightingale's song brings the poet immense joy and a feeling of freedom. It transports him away from his troubles and worries, making him feel light and happy. The beauty of the music allows him to escape reality for a moment, creating a sense of bliss and connection to nature.

2. What are the unpleasant aspects of the human condition that the poet wants to escape from?
   The poet wants to escape from feelings of sadness, pain, and mortality. He is troubled by life's struggles, such as sickness, aging, and sorrow. He longs to leave behind the heavy burdens of life, including despair and the harsh realities of human existence, to find peace and joy in the nightingale's song.

3. What quality of ‘beauty’ and ‘love’ does the poem highlight?
   The poem highlights that beauty and love are often fleeting and can lead to both joy and pain. While the nightingale's song represents pure beauty and happiness, it also reminds the poet that such moments are temporary. This duality shows that beauty can be both uplifting and sorrowful, leaving a lasting impact.

4. How does the poet bring out the immortality of the bird?
   The poet suggests that the nightingale is immortal because its song continues through time, unaffected by human struggles. Unlike humans, who age and die, the nightingale's music symbolizes eternal beauty and joy. Its voice represents a timeless essence that transcends life and death, making it feel everlasting.

5. How is the poet tossed back from ecstasy into despair?
   The poet feels joy while listening to the nightingale, but he is quickly reminded of the harsh realities of life. The fleeting moment of happiness fades, leaving him to confront his sadness and loneliness. This shift from ecstasy to despair shows the contrast between the beauty of the song and the pain of existence.

6. How does the poem bring out the elusive nature of happiness in human existence?
   The poem illustrates that happiness is temporary and hard to grasp. The nightingale's song brings joy, but it also highlights the poet's longing and pain. Happiness, like the nightingale's song, can be beautiful but is often fleeting. This contrast emphasizes how difficult it is for humans to hold onto true happiness.

TRY THIS OUT

1. The poet has juxtaposed sets of opposites like numbness/pains, waking/dream. How does this contribute to the poetic effect? What is this figure of speech called? List other such pairs from poems that you have read.
   This technique, called antithesis, enhances the poem's emotional impact by highlighting contrasts. It emphasizes the poet's conflicting feelings of pleasure and pain. Other examples include “bittersweet” and “joyful sorrow” from various poems, showing the complexity of human emotions.

2. The poet has evoked the image of wine—why has this image been chosen?
   The image of wine symbolizes pleasure, intoxication, and the escape from reality. It represents the joy and beauty found in the nightingale's song. Wine also suggests a temporary state of bliss, mirroring the fleeting moments of happiness that the poet seeks in nature and art.

3. The senses of sound, sight and taste are evoked in the poem. Locate instances of these.

   • Sound: The nightingale's beautiful song captures the essence of music.
   • Sight: The poet describes the beauty of the lush forest and flowers around him.
   • Taste: The imagery of wine evokes a rich and pleasurable taste experience, linking it to the joy of the moment.

4. The poet addresses the nightingale and talks to the bird throughout the poem. What is this kind of poem called?
   This kind of poem is called an apostrophe, where the poet directly addresses a person or an object. In this case, the poet speaks to the nightingale as if it can hear him, creating a deep connection and emphasizing its significance in the poem.

5. Make a list of all the adjectives in the poem along with the nouns they describe. List the phrases that impressed you most in the poem.

   • Tender (night)
   • Deep-delvèd (earth)
   • Sweet (incense)
   • Green (woods)
   • Musk (rose)
   • Blushful (Hippocrene)

   Impressive phrases:

   • "With beaded bubbles winking at the brim"
   • "The weariness, the fever, and the fret"
   • "Fast fading violets covered up in leaves"

6. Find out the other odes written by Keats and read them.
   Some other famous odes by John Keats include Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode to Psyche, and Ode to Melancholy. Each of these poems explores themes of beauty, art, and the complexities of human emotions, similar to Ode to a Nightingale.

7. Find out the odes written by Shelley and read them.
   Some notable odes by Percy Bysshe Shelley are Ode to the West Wind, Ode to a Skylark, and To a Skylark. These odes reflect on nature, inspiration, and the power of the human spirit, often highlighting the connection between beauty and the transient nature of life.

Important Questions on the Poem Ode to Nightingale by John Keats

Q1. Discuss the theme of mortality in Ode to a Nightingale. How does Keats explore the idea of life and death?

Keats explores mortality by contrasting the nightingale's eternal song with human life, which is temporary and filled with pain. The poet reflects on his own fears of aging and death, wishing to escape these harsh realities. The nightingale symbolizes timeless beauty, while the poet’s awareness of death brings a sense of sadness and longing.

Q2. What role does nature play in the poem? How does it influence the poet’s thoughts and feelings?

Nature is a central theme in the poem, providing beauty and inspiration for the poet. The lush forest and the nightingale’s song transport him to a peaceful place, making him feel alive and joyful. However, nature also reminds him of the fleeting moments of happiness, highlighting the contrast between the eternal beauty of the nightingale and the temporary nature of human life.

Q3. How does Keats use imagery to enhance the emotional depth of the poem? Provide specific examples.

Keats uses vivid imagery to evoke strong emotions. For instance, he describes “beaded bubbles” and “the weariness, the fever, and the fret,” creating a sensory experience. These images make the beauty of the nightingale's song feel more intense, while also emphasizing the poet's pain and longing, enriching the poem's emotional landscape.

Q4. Examine the significance of the nightingale as a symbol in the poem. What does it represent for the poet?

The nightingale symbolizes beauty, art, and the eternal nature of joy. For the poet, it represents a world free from suffering and mortality. While listening to the nightingale's song, he feels a deep connection to nature and the possibility of escaping human pain. The bird’s immortal song contrasts with the poet's own transient existence.

Q5. How does the poet's attitude toward the nightingale change throughout the poem? What does this reveal about his emotional state?

Initially, the poet admires the nightingale, feeling uplifted by its song. However, as he becomes aware of his mortality, his feelings shift to sadness and despair. This change reveals his struggle between longing for joy and confronting the harsh realities of life. The nightingale’s beauty becomes both a source of comfort and a reminder of his pain.

Q6. What is the significance of the contrast between the nightingale’s eternal song and the poet’s human experience?

The contrast highlights the difference between the timeless beauty of the nightingale and the temporary nature of human life. While the nightingale’s song represents eternal joy and freedom, the poet’s existence is filled with suffering, aging, and death. This tension emphasizes the longing for escape from reality and the fleeting moments of happiness in life.

Q7. In what ways does the poem reflect Romantic ideals? Provide examples from the text.

The poem reflects Romantic ideals through its emphasis on nature, emotion, and individual experience. Keats celebrates the beauty of the natural world and explores deep feelings of joy and sadness. His longing for transcendence and the connection to the nightingale illustrate the Romantic fascination with finding meaning beyond the mundane aspects of life.

Q8. How does Keats’ personal life and experiences influence the themes presented in Ode to a Nightingale?

Keats’ personal experiences with illness, loss, and mortality greatly influence the poem. He faced the deaths of loved ones and his own health struggles, which brought a sense of urgency to his reflections on life and death. This background shapes the themes of longing for beauty, the desire to escape suffering, and the inevitability of mortality.

Q9. Discuss the influence of classical mythology in the poem. How does Keats incorporate these elements into his work?

Keats incorporates classical mythology by referencing figures like Bacchus and referencing the "Hippocrene," the fountain of poetic inspiration. These allusions connect the nightingale to themes of beauty, inspiration, and ecstasy found in ancient myths. This adds a layer of depth, linking the poem to timeless ideas of art and nature that transcend the poet's immediate experience.

Q10. How does Ode to a Nightingale compare to other odes written by Keats? What themes are consistent throughout his work?

Like other odes by Keats, such as Ode on a Grecian Urn, Ode to a Nightingale explores themes of beauty, art, and the passage of time. Both odes reflect the tension between the desire for eternal beauty and the reality of mortality. Keats often uses rich imagery and deep emotion, creating a profound connection between nature and human experience.

Q11. What is the impact of the poet’s use of sensory details in the poem? How do they contribute to the overall atmosphere?

Keats’ use of sensory details, like the sound of the nightingale's song and the sight of the lush forest, creates a vivid atmosphere. These details allow readers to feel the beauty and intensity of the poet's experiences. The rich imagery enhances the emotional depth, making the moments of joy and sorrow more relatable and impactful.

Q12. Analyze the structure and form of the poem. How does it contribute to its themes and meanings?

Ode to a Nightingale is structured in ten stanzas of varying lengths, using iambic pentameter and rhyme. This flowing structure mirrors the natural rhythm of the nightingale's song and creates a sense of movement. The changing stanza lengths reflect the poet's emotional journey, emphasizing the tension between beauty and sorrow throughout the poem.

Q13. Discuss the notion of escapism in the poem. How does the poet seek to escape from reality, and what does he find instead?

The poet seeks to escape reality through the nightingale's song, which symbolizes a world free from pain and suffering. He momentarily finds joy and connection to nature but ultimately realizes that he cannot fully escape human experiences of grief and mortality. This quest for escapism highlights the complexity of seeking happiness amidst the inevitability of life’s struggles.