The phrase is from Keats's famous Ode on a Grecian Urn. Exact lines are:
<em>Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,
</em>
<em>Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone</em>
The author tells the pipes do not play to his or physical ear, but to the metaphorical ear or in his word of his "spirit". This spiritual ear is "more endear’d," or cherished in other words. The author asks the pipes to play "ditties of no tone,". It is songs without any note or sound and that songs do not exist in the real world.
Keats used this phrase to determine the <em>"songs the people on the urn appear to be playing".</em>
Explanation:
This phrase appears in the ode written by John Keats in 1819, "Ode on a Grecian Urn". The ode explores the theme of art, beauty, time and truth. Urn is a Greek pottery used to store the ashes of dead.
The ode ponders over the effect of visual art have on humans.
In this stanza, the poet speaks about the unheard melodies that are much sweeter to the ears of spirit. The speaker wants to hear the song of the people on the urn, with the ears of his spirit and not the one of sensual ears. The speaker states that this song is sweeter and have no tone.
