WORLD IN KEATS‟S “ODE TO A NIGHTINGALE”

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International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 2019Vol. 3, Issue 11, ISSN No. 2455-2143, Pages 53-61Published Online March 2019 in IJEAST (http://www.ijeast.com)REPRESENTATION OF NATURALWORLD IN KEATS‟S “ODE TO ANIGHTINGALE”Lok Raj SharmaAssociate Professor of EnglishHead of Faculty of EducationMakawanpur Multiple Campus, Hetauda, NepalAbstract - The prime objective of this articleis to explore the representations of the naturalworld as presented in one of the famous odesof Keats‟s “Ode to a Nightingale” publishedin 1819. This paper seeks to analyze this odefrom the Ecocritical Perspective which dealswith the study of man's relationships with hisphysical environment along with hisperception and conception of it. This articleconcludes that nature plays a very prominentrole to generate sheer pleasure in man. Thenature is represented as an active force,whereas persons are represented as positivelybeneficialized entities. This article is expectedto be significant to those who are involved inteaching and learning ecocriticism.Nature carries a great symbolic significancein creative writings.“Ode to a Nightingale" is a romantic poemcomposed by John Keats (1795-1821), whowas a great romantic poet. “Ode to aNightingale" is one of the most highlyadmired regular odes in English literature. Itreveals Keats's keen imaginative faculty,heightened sensibility and those aestheticqualities for which Keats is much wellknown. He was one of the greatest lovers andadmirers of nature. His love of nature wassolely sumptuous and he cherished thegorgeous sights and scenes of nature.The article writer has attempted toexplore the nature in the ode, and itsinfluences on the poetic persona. The poetsays that the nightingale sings a song and heis taken by its melody into a state of halfpainful and half-delicious sensation. The poetbegins by describing the effect produced onhim by the song of the nightingale. It is like amagic charm cast on him.Keywords- Ecocriticism, Nightingale, Ode,RepresentationI.INTRODUCTIONWe reside in the lap of nature. We see agreat deal of natural substances and naturalphenomena influencing us pleasantly orunpleasantly every day. The influences ofnature tend to give birth to diverse feelings,emotions, opinions and revelations in us.Creative and imaginative persons presenttheir perceptions and conceptions of naturein their writings. They make others feel andrealize nature through their work of art andliterature. They make use of nature as adevice to project their feelings, emotionsand attitudes. Varied writers view naturefrom diverse perspectives according to theirplaces,surroundings,backgrounds,preferences, education, professions, agesand so on. Some take nature as a source ofpleasure; some take it as a source ofinspiration and revelation; some take it as adynamic force, some take it as a kind entity;and some take it as an ugly and dull entity.A. Objective of the ArticleThe fundamental objective of this article is toexplore the representations of natural world inKeats‟s poem “Ode to a Nightingale”.II.REVIEW OF LITERATUREReview of literature involves definition ofode, features of ode, concept of ecocriticismand presentation of nature in the ode.A. OdeThe ode, which is of Greek origin, means apoem written to be recited to theaccompaniment of music. It is a serious anddignified composition almost always inrhyme. It is longer than the lyric proper. It isoften in the form of an address. It is a longlyric serious in subject, elevated in style andelaborate in stanzaic structure. “Ode” is a53

International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 2019Vol. 3, Issue 11, ISSN No. 2455-2143, Pages 53-61Published Online March 2019 in IJEAST (http://www.ijeast.com)lyric poem usually marked by exaltation offeeling and style, varying length of line, andcomplexity of stanza forms. Its stanza formsvary. Cuddon (1999) considers ode as “agrand poem; a full dress poem.” Abrams(1993) views that “ode is a long lyric poemthat is serious in subject and treatments,elevated in style, and elaborate in its stanzaicstructure.” Lennard (2010) defines ode as “aformal, stately, or grand poem of somelength.” Harmon(1991) assumes ode as “asingle, unified, strain of exalted lyrical verse,directed to a single purpose, and dealing withone theme.”C. Main Features of OdeThe basic features of ode are as follows: The dignified subject matter. The ode is generally in the form ofan address. Leisurely slow-winding movement. Over-elaborationandspaciousplanning. Subjective expression Musicality. It is longer than a lyric proper.D. Examining the Features of Ode in“Ode to the Nightingale”“Ode to the Nightingale” is an ode in whichthe speaker addresses the nightingale whichhe considers to be carefree, immortal andhappy. This poem deals with the dignifiedsubject matter: transience of the human life orthe mortality of the human life or suffering inthe human life. Therefore the speaker likes toescape from this suffering world of the realityto the pleasing world of imagination. It is alonger poem in which the poet addresses anightingale. We find slow-winding movementof the plot. It employs the over-elaborationand spacious planning. It is longer than a lyricproper. Plenty of reference items are added toelaborate the main thesis of the poem.“ My heart aches”, “ a drowsy numbnesspains”, “too happy in thine happiness”,“testing of Flora”, “ dissolve and quiteforget”, “half in love with easeful Death”,“the voice I hear this passing night”, “ visionor a walking dream” etc are the personalfeelings or experiences of the speaker . Theseare the subjective projections of the speaker.The musical quality in this poem canprimarily be realized through rhyme. Therhyming pattern in this poem is ababcdecde ineach stanza. The above mentioned featuresform this poem a good ode in Englishliterature.B. Forms of OdeThere are primarily three forms of ode. Theyare:1. The Dorian or Pindaric ode (Greekpoet Pindar 522-448 BC)2. The Lesbian or Horatian ode ( Latinpoet Horace 65-8 BC)3. Irregular or Cowleyan ode (poetAbraham Cowley )The Dorian ode: It is choric and is sung tothe accompaniment of a dance. Its structure isborrowed from the movements of the dancers.it consists of three parts: a first stanza form,known as the strophe, during the recitation ofwhich the dancers make a turn from the rightto the left; a second stanza from, known as theantistrophe, during the recitation of which thedancer make a counter-turn from the left tothe right ; and a third stanza-form , known asthe epode, during the recitation of which thedancers stand still.Gray‟s odes “The progress of poesy‟‟ and„‟The Bard‟‟ are among the most successfulimitations of this form in the EnglishLanguage.The Lesbian ode: It is simpler in form thanthe Pindaric ode and has therefore proved tobe easier to imitate. It consists of a number ofshort stanzas similar in length andarrangement. The treatment is direct anddignified. Collin‟s „‟Ode to Evening‟‟,Shelley‟s „‟Ode to the West Wind‟‟, Keats„‟Ode to a Nightingale„‟ and „‟Ode on aGrecian Urn‟‟ are the successful imitations ofthis form in the English language.Irregular ode: In the irregular ode, eachstanza finds its own pattern of line-length.The number of lines and rhyme schemes dsworth‟s „‟Ode on Imitation ofImmortality‟‟ and Tennyson‟s „‟Ode on theDuke of Wellington‟‟ are good examples ofirregular ode.E. EcocriticismThe term ecocriticism was first coined byWilliam Rueckert in his critical writing“Literature and Ecology: An Experiment inEcocriticism” in 1978.Ecocriticism is a rapidly emerging field ofliterary study that considers the relationshipbetween the human beings and theenvironment. Environmental critics explorehow nature and the natural world areimagined through literary texts. Fenn (2015)asserts that“ecocriticism is a rapidlychanging theoretical approach, which isdifferent from the traditional approach to54

International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 2019Vol. 3, Issue 11, ISSN No. 2455-2143, Pages 53-61Published Online March 2019 in IJEAST (http://www.ijeast.com)literature.” According to Love (2003),ecocriticism focuses on the “inter connectionsbetween the material world and humanculture, specifically the cultural artifactslanguage and literature.” Frederick (2007)assumes ecocriticism “to give human beings abetter understanding of nature.”unchanged by man.” A nightingale is a majorword in the ode. The nightingale is asmall passerine bird best known for itspowerful and beautiful song. Seeing anightingale is always difficult, as it is famousfor its ability to lurk in thick cover where it isdifficult to mark.Ecocriticism is the study of literature and theenvironment from an interdisciplinary pointof view, where literature scholars analyzetexts that illustrate environmental concernsand examine the various ways literature treatsthe subject of nature. Ecocriticism is a termused for the observation and study of therelationship between the literature and theearth‟senvironment.Ittakesaninterdisciplinary point of view by analysingthe works of authors, researchers, and poets inthe context of environmental issues andnature. Ecocriticism is an emergent researchfield that, according to Heise (2008), “hasevolved in literary criticism and culturalstudies since the early 1990s.” Clark(2011)talks about the space of ecocriticism as a“crucial, exciting but sometimes bewilderingintersection of issues.”Ecocriticism is the study of representations ofnature in literary works and of the relationshipbetween literature and the environment.Ecocriticism as an academic discipline beganin earnest in the 1990s, although its roots goback to the late 1970s. Because it is a newarea of study, scholars are still engaged indefining the scope and aims of the subject.Glotfelty and Fromm (1996) in TheEcocriticism Reader define ecocriticism as:The study of the relationship betweenliterature and the physical environment. Justas feminist criticism examines language andliterature from a gender- consciousperspective, and Marxist criticism brings anawareness of modes of production andeconomic class to its reading of its texts, ecocriticism takes an earth centered approach toliterary studies. (Glotfelty and Fromm)Figure 1: NightingaleIn this ode, the poet addresses the nightingalewhich he considers to be carefree, immortaland happy. He hears the nightingale singingsomewhere in the garden. He is so charmedby its song that he feels as if he has drunkhemlock or emptied the Lethe-ward.One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:'Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,But being too happy in thine happiness.(4-6)The poet tells us that he has become restlessto hear the song of the nightingale. He hasbecome lethargic just as he takes hemlock orsome sleep producing drug in large quantity.He has just drunk the water from Lethewards. According to Greek mythology, Lethewards is a river in the lower world. Its watermakes people forget when they drink it. Thewater of Lethe-wards is assumed to have theintoxicating power that makes the poet forgetthe bitter reality of life. He takes thenightingale as a light-winged Dryad of thetrees. Dryad is a wood nymph, alsocalled hamadryad,in Greekmythology,a nymph or nature spirit who lives in trees andtakes the form of a beautiful young woman.Dryads were originally the spirits of oak trees(drys: “oak”), but the name was later appliedto all tree nymphs. It is believed that they liveonly as long as the trees live in.That thou, light-winged Dryad of the treesIn some melodious plotOf beechen green, and shadowsnumberless,Singest of summer in full-throatedease. (7-10)F. Representations of Natural Worldin the OdeNature involves all the animals, plants, andother things, that are not made by people; andall the events and processes that are notcaused by people. Emerson defines nature as“essences unchanged by man,” and art as a“mixture of man‟s will with what is55

International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 2019Vol. 3, Issue 11, ISSN No. 2455-2143, Pages 53-61Published Online March 2019 in IJEAST (http://www.ijeast.com)Figure 2: DryadsFigure 3: BeechHe takes the nightingale as a light-wingedDryad of the trees. Dryad is a wood nymph,also called hamadryad, in Greek mythology,a nymph or nature spirit who lives in trees andtakes the form of a beautiful young woman.Dryads were originally the spirits of oak trees(drys: “oak”), but the name was later appliedto all tree nymphs. It is believed that they liveonly as long as the trees live in. For him, thesong of the bird is a source of pleasure. Theplace of solitude is presumed as a place ofpleasure and peace. Dryads are represented aspeace loving beings.The poet thinks that he has drunk the water ofHippocrene. Hippocrene is a spring on Mt.Helicon. It is sacred to the Muses and it wasformed by the hooves of Pegasus. Its nameliterally translates as "Horse's Fountain" andthe water is supposed to bring forth poeticinspiration when it is drunk. Pegasus isa mythical winged divine stallion who is oneof the most recognized creatures in Greekmythology. He desires to disappear into thedark forest as an indispensable component ofnature.Away! away! for I will fly to thee,Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,But on the viewless wings of Poesy, (31-33)And purple-stained mouth;That I might drink, and leave the worldunseen,And with thee fade away into the forest dim.(16-20)Figure 5: Bacchus, a Roman god of wineThe poet rejects the idea of seekinginspiration by drinking wine. He prefers to betransported by poetic imagination into theworld of dreams. He soon finds himself withthe aid of imagination in the company of thebird. He does not need the aid of Bacchus, theRoman god of wine. Poetry alone shalltransport him. It reflects his love forFigure 4: Hippocrene source on Mt. Helicon56

International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 2019Vol. 3, Issue 11, ISSN No. 2455-2143, Pages 53-61Published Online March 2019 in IJEAST (http://www.ijeast.com)Hellenism in poetry that shows the use ofwild animals for our benefits.But here there is no light,Save what from heaven is with the breezesblownAlready with thee! tender is the night,Through verdurous glooms and windingmossy ways. (35- 40).And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,Cluster'd around by all her starry Fays;Figure 6: The moonFigure 7: Starry fays (fairies)The poet pinpoints the night that isaffectionate, attributes the moon by regardingher as Queen. The moon is surrounded byStarry fays -fairies in the form stars. Theycreate a beauteous natural vista. He is sittingin the thick garden where the light has beenunable to penetrate the thickness of the trees.But he feels the gentle air coming fromheaven through the green dark mossy way.The poet cannot see the flowers on the groundof the garden, but he is aware of the latespring flowers that surround him. He feelsthem through their fragrance and imaginesthem in the darkness. He is listening to thesong of the nightingale.The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild;I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,Whiteeglantine;Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,But, in embalmed darkness, guess each sweetleaves;hawthorn,andthepastoralFast fading violets cover'd up inAnd mid-May's eldest child,Wherewith the seasonable month endows (4144)The coming musk-rose, full of dewywine,The murmurous haunt of flies onsummer eves. (45-50)Figure 8: Flowering thick forest57

International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 2019Vol. 3, Issue 11, ISSN No. 2455-2143, Pages 53-61Published Online March 2019 in IJEAST (http://www.ijeast.com)Figure 9: Grass flowersFigure 10: ThicketFigure 11: Fruit treeFigure 12: HawthornFigure 13: EglantineFigure 14: VioletFigure 25: Musk-roseFigure 16: Flies (Bees)Although the poet cannot see the flowers dueto the thickness of the garden, he recognizesthe through their fragrance. He comes toidentify that the grass, the thicket, and thefruit-tree wild, white hawthorn, the pastoraleglantine, violets and the musk-rose areblooming there. Different sorts of flies areflying round these flowers. They are sucking58

International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 2019Vol. 3, Issue 11, ISSN No. 2455-2143, Pages 53-61Published Online March 2019 in IJEAST (http://www.ijeast.com)nectar of the flowers for making honey andthey are merrily producing murmuring soundin the summer evenings.The same that oft-times hathCharm'd magic casements, opening onthe foamThrough the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick forhome,Of perilous seas, in faery landsforlorn. (66-70)She stood in tears amid the aliencorn;Figure 17: Corn fieldFigure 18: SeaBoaz. (Biblical Reference). The poet furthermentions that in ancient times, the maidens,who were locked up in high towers by evilmen, would open the windows (casements)and look over the terrifying seas and hear thenightingale singing in the solitary lands offairies.Past the near meadows, over the still stream,Up the hill-side; and now 'tis buried deepFigure 19: Fairy landIn the next valley-glades:The poet believes that the nightingale is animmortal bird. Her song has been heard sincetime immemorial. It is the bird that gave joyto Ruth, who was a widow and whenever shewept in the memory of her husband, the sweetsong of the bird consoled her. In the aliencountry, she became a gleaner in fields ofWas it a vision, or a waking dream?Fled is that music:—Do I wake orsleep? (76-80)Figure 20: MeadowFigure 21: Stream59

International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 2019Vol. 3, Issue 11, ISSN No. 2455-2143, Pages 53-61Published Online March 2019 in IJEAST (http://www.ijeast.com)Figure 22: Valley-gladesFigure 23: ElfThe poet realizes that imagination and an elf(an imaginary small being with magic power)cannot cheat him for a long time. The songwhich was regarded as joyous seems to bemelancholic. The song of the nightingalestarts subsiding and fading away graduallyfrom the meadow, the stream, hill-side andvalley-glades. The illusion which hisimagination had created now vanishes. Thesong of the bird also becomes fainter andfainter, and the poet is left in doubt whetherhe was dreaming all this time or hisexperience was real. The nature, especiallythe song of the bird had mesmerizing effecton the poet.IV.1.2.G. Theme of the OdeWhen we analyze the ode from the ecocriticalpoint of view, we come to realize that themajor theme of this ode is nature as a sourceof creating feelings of pleasure andeccentricity in man.III.Abrams, M.H. (1993). A Glossary ofLiterary Terms. Bangalore: PRISMBOOKS PVT LTD. (p.137).Clark, T. (2011).CambridgeIntroduction to Literature and theEnvironment. Cambridge:CUP.(pp.150-151).3.Cuddon, J. A. (1999). Literary Termsand Theory. England: Penguin Book. (p.608).4.Emerson, R. W.(1987). “Nature”. TheEssays of Ralph Waldo Emerson, JosephSlater ed. United States of America:Harvard U P. (p.3).Glotfelty, C. & Fromm, H.(Ed). (1996).The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks inLiterary Ecology. Athens and London:University of Georgia press. (p. xviii)5.CONCLUSION“Nightingale” is represented as a centralentity in the ode. It is such a singing birdwhich is hardly seen, but her mellifluous songis distinctively perceived. The song of thebird is so affective that the human heart isstirred and moved. The world of the bird isassumed to be a unique world of pleasure,peace and purity. The world of the bird isnature that is always spontaneous, inspiring,pleasing and enigmatic. The bird is also a partand parcel of nature. The ode reveals that thenature / song of the bird influences the humanbeings, but it does not explore whether natureis influenced by human beings or not.Therefore, natural world is represented as anactive force, whereas the poet, the emperor,the clown and a biblical character Ruth arerepresented as positively beneficializedpersons in this ode.REFERENCE6.Fenn, V. (2015) Roots of ecocriticism:an exploration of the history ofecocriticism, a literary theory of thepost-modern world. Journal of EnglishLanguage and Linguistics. Vol.2 Issue2,( pp.115-119).J7.Frederick, S. (2007). “Suicidal Motive:An Ecocritical Reading of Four Poems.”Essays in Criticism. Eds. NirmalSelvamony, Nirmaldasan and Rayson K.Alex. New Delhi: (p.135-143).8.Harmon, W. (2009). A Handbook toLiterature.NewDelhi:DorlingKindersley. (p.361).Heise, U. (2008). Sense of Place andSense of Planet: The EnvironmentalImagination of the Global. Oxford:OUP. (p.8).9.10. Lennard, J. (2010). The PoetryHandbook. Oxford: Oxford UniversityPress. (p.54)60

International Journal of Engineering Applied Sciences and Technology, 2019Vol. 3, Issue 11, ISSN No. 2455-2143, Pages 53-61Published Online March 2019 in IJEAST (http://www.ijeast.com)11. Love, G. (2003).A. PracticalEcocriticism: Literature, Biology, andthe Environment. Virginia: UniversityPress of Virginia. (p.196).12. Rueckert, W. (1978). Literature giaUniversity Press. (p.71-86).13. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Keats Retrieved on April 1, 201914. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OdeRetrieved on April 1,201915. rms/ode Retrieved on April1,201916. .https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/ode Retrievedon April 1,201917. https://www.aresearchguide.com/ecocriticism.html. Retrieved on April 1,201918. cism1.pdf Retrieved on April 1,201919. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecocriticism Retrieved on April 2,201920. 016/01/Frame-26 2Bridging-Opposites.pdf Retrieved onApril 2,201921. 016/01/Frame-26 2Earthly-Things.pdf Retrieved on April2,201922. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonnightingale Retrieved on April 2,201923. ts-on-nightingale Retrievedon April 3,201924. https://www.britannica.com/topic/dryadRetrieved on April 3,201925. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocrene Retrieved on April 3,201926. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PegasusRetrieved on April 3,201927. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nightingale Retrieved on April 3,201928. php Retrieved on April3,201929. https://doughtydesigns.com/ Retrievedon April 4,201930. 46.47.48.49.50.61herbst rce.jpgRetrieved on l Retrieved on April vestMoon.html Retrieved onApril mage.php?album 92&pos 43Retrieved on April 5,2019http://www.gardengirltv.com/fruittrees.html Retrieved on April mimosa tree.htm Retrieved on 0x1050/2010/1030/6519.htmlRetrieved on April 8 articles/December172008.htmlRetrieved on April rn.htm Retrieved on April lower Retrieved on April 5,2019http://www.vnphoto.net/reviews details.php?id 266 Retrieved on April tml Retrieved on April s-and-bees.html Retrieved on 4534/girl in a corn field Retrievedon April ed on April 6,2019http://www.howarddavidjohnson.com/free.htm Retrieved on April 6,2019http://www.islandcamp.org/content 32.php Retrieved on April .html Retrieved on eved on April ns/a/a1/Elfo red.jpg Retrievedon April 7,2019

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