Analysis on Three Contradictions in Ode to A Nightingale

桂阜偲

【Abstract】Ode to A Nightingale is one of the most representative odes of John Keats. It expresses the poets complex and contradictory emotions while hearing the song of nightingale. In the contrast between despairs and hopes， there lies the disillusion of real word which accompanies with the happiness of the eternal world of beautiful nature.

【Key words】Analysis； Three Contradictions； Ode to A Nightingale

1. Introduction

The poem was written in the spring of 1819 when John Keats stayed in Hampstead. In this poem， the poet yearned to get rid of the pressure of human sufferings — the death of relatives， tuberculosis， revocatory engagement， and to blend himself into the world of nature. There are eight stanzas in all in this poem which contain the poets miserable life experience. His father died when he was only 8 and later his mother when he was 14. Illness took his younger brother away from him and he was forced to be separated with the girl he loved because of disease. He died at the age of 27 unfortunately. God seemed didnt give Keats too much time and happiness except a pure heart which leads him to search for profound beauty of the world. In this poem， every line and every word is expressing sadness but at the same time it also contains vigorous vitality.

2. Contradictory image

It is no doubt that the affections of this poem are complex. What this article wants to mainly talk about this poem is its contradictions.

First of all， the image of nightingale is contradictory. The nightingales beautiful song comforts the anxious lonely poet and other people who are suffering from sorrows. And it was praised by Keats as immortal bird. However， in fact， nightingale cant be immortal and its song also means death. According to legend， the nightingale will fly up the highest rose at midnight and puncture itself deeply with rose thorn. Then it begins to sing poignantly till the last drop of blood， dying the roses red. That is to say， the image of nightingale blends hope and death. Its song is beautiful but the ending of the song is sad. The poet chose the image of nightingale to represent his contradictory situation and to express his ambivalent affections.

3. Contradiction between sufferings and happiness

The four lines at the beginning of the first section describe that the poet is suffering “drowsy” head， “numbness”， and “pains” which demonstrate that the poet is stepping into death， while the following six lines describe the nightingales happiness of singing freely in the shadow of forest. This strongly contrast shows the poets contradictory emotions. When a dying man heard the nightingales song of life， the eager for life in his inner heart was aroused. But he couldnt do nothing but to accept the coming death. “Tis not through envy of thy happy lot， /But being too happy in thine happiness”. The poet wouldnt envy the freedom and happiness of nightingale but he yearned to be happy with its happiness. The nightingales happiness would give motivation to the poet and make him forget sufferings in its song. That is the first contradiction between sufferings and happiness.endprint

4. Contradicion between illusion and reality

Another contradiction is the problem between illusion and reality. The poet is eager to blend into the nature just like nightingale in order to escape away from the anxieties of real word. However， how can he really join the nightingales free kingdom without any worry？ In the second section， the poet conducts an illusion full of imagination. He images the vintage made of grapes. He wants to drink it and then leave the world unseen， fading away into the forest with nightingale. The world in poets imagination is joyous and pastoral. But in the next section， “The weariness， the fever， and the fret/Here where men sit and hear each other groan”. These lines represent the situation of real world and the poets miserable life. “Fade， far away， dissolve， and quite forget/What thou among the leave hast never known”， facing with pressures and anxieties， the poet only wants to escape. “Where Beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes/Or new Love pine at them beyond to-morrow”， he witnessed his relatives death and he finally found that his love is hopeless pursuit. He had witnessed so much sadness that he couldnt sustain the death of his lines and the extinction of beauty. So he wrote a scene of making vintage. On one hand， he imagines to enter into the nightingales free kingdom with the help of the mysterious power of the wine. On the other hand， he hopes to forget sad things in the real word by getting drunk.

5. Contradiciont between life and death

There is a contradiction between life and death. The forth and the fifth stanzas are important transitions of Keats thoughts. He realizes that he cant leave the real world by drinking， but he is able to fly to the nightingales world through his lines. When it comes to death， people are usually frightened by the image of a world full of uncertain darkness. But as for Keats， death somehow means rebirth for him. “I cannot see what flowers are at my feet， /Nor what soft incense， hangs upon the bouths， /But， in embalmed darkness， guess each sweet/Where with the seasonable month endows/The grass， the thicket， and the fruit-tree wild；” When he fell into that darkness， he can smell perfume of beautiful flowers and he can touch fruity trees， hearing the elegy that nightingale sings for him. It seems a happy thing for Keats to free himself in music， in poem， in beauty. His pious attitude towards death reveals his sincere love to life. The seventh stanza is the transition of his coming back to the reality from his imagination. Although nightingales voice can comfort the people who are suffering miseries， nothing can be eternal in the world. “Forlorn” in the last stanza break his fancy. Keats cant distinguish whether it is the truth or just a dream. Nightingales voice disappears with beautiful illusions and sadness swallows the poet again， which emphasizes the contradiction between life and death. The poem ends with an acceptance that nothing can last in life and that death is an inevitable part of life.

6. Conclusion

When we read this poem， it seems that the poet is a nightingale. He lies in a peaceful forest and comforts other lonely sorrow heart with his songs of soul， which affect us deeply. Ode to A Nightingale not only deeply expresses the poets miserable life but it also deeply expresses the poets desire for life and beauty. In the contradictory situation of sufferings and happiness， illusion and reality， life and death， Keats created an ode to life with a pure heart.

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