Class | Subject | Book | Chapter | Session | Questions covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
XII | English | Flamingo (NCERT) | 13 – A Thing of Beauty | 2026-27 | 7 of 7 |
Chapter at a glance
Aspect | Key point |
|---|---|
Poet | John Keats (1795–1821), British Romantic poet |
Source | Excerpt from Endymion: A Poetic Romance (Greek legend of the shepherd Endymion and Cynthia, the Moon Goddess) |
Theme | “A thing of beauty is a joy forever” — beauty gives lasting joy, health and peace, and binds us to the earth despite sorrow |
Things of beauty | sun, moon, old and young trees giving shade to sheep, daffodils, clear rills, the musk-rose blooms in the forest brake, the grandeur of the dooms imagined for the mighty dead, lovely tales |
Image | “An endless fountain of immortal drink, / Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink” |
Form | Rhyming couplets (aabb…), regular line length |
Think it out
Question P1
List the things of beauty mentioned in the poem.
Answer
- The sun and the moon.
- Trees, old and young, “sprouting a shady boon / For simple sheep”.
- Daffodils with the green world they live in.
- Clear rills (small streams) that make a cooling covert against the hot season.
- The mid-forest brake, rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms.
- The grandeur of the dooms we have imagined for the mighty dead.
- All lovely tales that we have heard or read.
The sun, the moon, old and young trees giving shade to sheep, daffodils, clear rills, the forest brake with musk-rose blooms, the grandeur of the mighty dead, and lovely tales we have heard or read.
Question P2
List the things that cause suffering and pain.
Answer
- Despondence (hopelessness, depression).
- The “inhuman dearth / Of noble natures” — the lack of good, noble people.
- “the gloomy days” — days of sorrow.
- “all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways / Made for our searching” — evil and unhealthy ways we follow in our search for happiness.
- The “pall” (gloom) over “our dark spirits”.
Despondence, the inhuman dearth of noble natures, gloomy days, the unhealthy and over-darkened ways of our searching, and the pall of sadness over our dark spirits.
Question P3
What does the line, ‘Therefore are we wreathing a flowery band to bind us to earth’ suggest to you?
Answer
It suggests that every day (“on every morrow”) we weave a garland of beautiful things and experiences that ties us to the earth and to life. These memories of beauty give us hope and the will to live in spite of sorrows, despondence and the evils of the world. Like flowers woven into a garland, our joyful experiences of beauty bind us to life.
Each day we weave a “garland” of beautiful things and joyful experiences, which keeps us attached to the earth and to life, giving us the will to live despite sorrow.
Question P4
What makes human beings love life in spite of troubles and sufferings?
Answer
Beauty in its many forms makes human beings love life. “Some shape of beauty moves away the pall / From our dark spirits.” Things of beauty — the sun, moon, trees, flowers, streams, noble deeds and lovely tales — give us lasting joy, peace, sweet dreams and health, and help us overcome despondence and suffering.
Things of beauty — in nature, in noble deeds and in literature — which remove the gloom from our spirits and give lasting joy, hope and peace.
Question P5
Why is ‘grandeur’ associated with the ‘mighty dead’?
Answer
The “mighty dead” are great people — heroes, martyrs, leaders — who lived noble lives and sacrificed themselves for great causes. Their lives and the “dooms” (destinies/ends) we imagine for them are full of glory and greatness; we believe they will be rewarded grandly after death. Their memories and stories inspire us, and so they too are things of beauty with grandeur.
Because the mighty dead lived noble, heroic lives and made great sacrifices; we imagine glorious ends for them, and their glory inspires us — a form of beauty.
Question P6
Do we experience things of beauty only for short moments or do they make a lasting impression on us?
Answer
Things of beauty make a lasting impression. “A thing of beauty is a joy forever / Its loveliness increases, it will never / Pass into nothingness”. The joy it gives stays in our memory, keeping “a bower quiet for us” and “a sleep / Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing”. Its effect grows rather than fades with time.
They make a lasting impression: a thing of beauty is “a joy forever”; its loveliness increases and never passes into nothingness, giving us peace, health and sweet dreams.
Question P7
What image does the poet use to describe the beautiful bounty of the earth?
Answer
The poet describes it as “An endless fountain of immortal drink, / Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.” The beauty of the earth is like a never-ending fountain of nectar (the drink of the gods) flowing to us from heaven — a divine, inexhaustible gift that gives us lasting joy.
“An endless fountain of immortal drink, / Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink” — beauty as a never-ending flow of divine nectar.
Topic checklist
- ☒ Things of beauty and things that cause suffering (P1–P2)
- ☒ Wreathing a flowery band; why we love life (P3–P4)
- ☒ Grandeur of the mighty dead; lasting impression (P5–P6)
- ☒ Image of the endless fountain (P7)