Question

Read this adapted excerpt from a famous poem by John Keats. This poem is about a beautiful vase with intricate shapes and patterns. You, silent form, do tease us out of thought As does eternity: Cold Pastoral! When old age shall this generation waste, You shall remain, in the middle of other woe Than ours, a friend to man, to whom you say, "Beauty is truth, truth beauty,"—that is all You know on earth, and all you need to know. What is the poet saying when he writes that "old age shall this generation waste"? The poet is saying that people don't live long; life is brief. The poet is saying that beauty is illusionary and short-lived. The poet is expressing his dread of growing older. The poet is mourning the changes he sees in his "generation."

Answer 1

Answer: The poet is saying that people don't live long; life is brief.

Explanation:

''Ode on a Grecian Urn" was written by the English Romantic poet, John Keats. It is one of the several ''Great Odes of 1819" which was first published anonymously.

In this poem, Keats compares the duration of a vessel with that of our life. The vessel is resistant and will last for a long period of time, while our life is brief and fragile, and leads to the old age. The Grecian urn, passed down from generation to generation, does not age and does not die. With this unusual comparison, the poet portrays our limited existence on earth. This theme is reflected in the phrase "old age shall this generation waste.''