"Ode on a Grecian Urn"

John Keats's poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn" presents an image of the eternal nature of art. The narrator then compares this to the brevity of human life. Yet, there is central irony in the poem between these. The "eternal" urn is created with images of temporal life.

The struggle between the eternal and temporal ultimately causes one to appreciate their life. The narrator begins the poem by stating that the "unheard" melodies of the urn "play on" (Keats 12). Because the urn speaks through the images painted on it, it contains a message that will remain for the ages. While on the other hand, "heard melodies are sweet," yet they are fleeting since sound is grounded in time and human perception. The metaphor between the continuing unspoken song of the urn and the brevity of real song demonstrates that the urn is eternal. However, on this eternal piece of art, there are images of fleeting human life. For example, the narrator recalls a "fair youth" that "never canst... kiss" (15,18). This lover, ready to kiss his beloved, is unable to because they are not doing so in the painting. They are in stuck in this position forever. In essence, the eternal urn is composed of images of fleeting human life. This creates a situation of irony for the eternal is stamped with the images of the temporal. Yet, if the temporal can be so enjoyed in art, the eternal, our temporal lives must resonate through the universe.

The eternal urn is a thing of a beauty for being a celebration of both the woes and joys of human existence. The narrator's love of the vase demonstrates how human life is connected with good art. Keats ultimately creates the same concept through his work of art the poem itself. By his simple musings on an urn, we see a fragment of the poet's short life. But now his wondering still resound some two hundred years later. Thus, the poem is a call to action to enjoy the fleeting nature of life.