Ode on a Grecian UrnJohn Keats

Ode on a Grecian Urn-John Keats The second stanza in Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn” begins with the statement, “Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard/Are sweeter.” Keats views art as something that is eternal and lets you experience what’s happening in the painting. While he cannot actually hear the music of the young man’s pipes, he can just imagine how sweet the melody would sound. If one was to hear …

…village will forever remain silent and desolate. Keats ends the poem by telling the painting that it will live on to serve as a friend to other generations when his generation is long gone and dead. By using his imagination in interpreting this painting, Keats shows us what he thinks about art. A work of art can mean different things to people, but it remains for many generations to take from it what they will.