`The Argument of Poetry`

Melancholy Will Prevail This essay attempts to present the literal meaning and the poetic character of the final strophe of John Keats 's Ode on Melancholy The literal message of these ten lines is as follows

She lives or lingers with beauty , and that beauty must die

Joy is always present , like a hand , close to his lips

Saying goodbye with aching pleasure nearby

It changes into poison while a bee drinks

Yes , in the temple of delight

Hidden or lurking sadness has her independent sacred tomb

Though invisible or

unnoticed by all except one whose strong voice or tongue

Can burst or pierce joy 's grape against his sophisticated , fine sense of taste

His soul will feel and taste the sadness of her strength

And become a part of her dark trophy collection

The first line of this final strophe argues that beauty is an integral part of life , and that it lives and lingers all around us . Yet inevitably and ironically , beauty and joy cannot last and must eventually die . The second line states that joy is nearby and welcoming , as if it is a hand that can soothe and caress one 's emotions and lips . Suddenly in the third and fourth lines , joy , beauty and happiness disappear abruptly . They seamlessly and naturally become a dark , potent poison while nature innocently witnesses without intervening . Thus , joy and happiness exist with equal measures of woe and despair . These emotions are inseparable , mirror-images of each other , and Keats argues that...