Chapter ode-to-a-nightingale: Ode to a Nightingale | Short Questions

In the fifth stanza, the poet is in a dark part of the forest where he cannot see the flowers at his feet. He calls this 'embalmed darkness' because the air is thick and sweet with the scents of various plants. Since he cannot see, he uses his sense of smell to identify the 'white hawthorn,' 'pastoral eglantine,' and 'mid-May's eldest child,' the musk-rose. This description emphasizes a sensory, immersive experience where the lack of sight actually enhances the poet's appreciation of the natural beauty surrounding him.

The word 'forlorn' reminds the poet of his own loneliness and the fact that he is separated from the world of the nightingale. It acts like a 'bell' because it abruptly signals the end of his imaginative flight and calls him back to his 'sole self' and his physical reality. Just as a bell marks the end of a period or a change in state, this word shatters the 'vision' he was experiencing, forcing him to face the world he was trying to leave behind.

The poet mentions Ruth, a biblical figure who stood 'in tears amid the alien corn,' to illustrate the universal and timeless appeal of the nightingale's song. By suggesting that Ruth heard the same song long ago, Keats connects the past with the present. It reinforces the idea that the bird’s music is immortal and has provided comfort or a sense of connection to people in different times and places, emphasizing that the human experience of sorrow and the longing for beauty are eternal.

The 'high anthem' is the nightingale’s song. Keats chooses the word 'anthem' to give the song a sense of grandeur, importance, and perhaps even a religious or spiritual quality. It is not just a simple melody; it is a powerful expression of nature's beauty that seems to celebrate life. As the bird flies away, this 'anthem' turns into a 'plaintive' or sad song, reflecting the poet's changing mood as he loses his connection to the bird and returns to reality.

The 'waking dream' refers to the poet's uncertainty about the reality of his experience. He is unsure if his mental journey into the forest with the nightingale was a genuine spiritual vision or just a hallucination. By ending with this question, Keats explores the idea that the boundaries between the world of the mind and the physical world are blurred. It leaves the student with the idea that intense aesthetic experiences can feel more 'real' than everyday life, even if they are temporary.