Student Question
Could you explain sections 4 and 5 of "Ode on a Grecian Urn"?
Quick answer:
In stanza 4, the speaker describes a sacrificial procession on the urn, pondering the silent, empty town left behind, symbolizing the eternal nature of the depicted scene. Stanza 5 reveals the urn's impact on the speaker, who reflects on the contrast between the urn's timeless beauty and life's fleeting nature. The urn embodies eternity, evoking both melancholy and peace as it highlights the brevity of human existence.
Stanza 4 of the poem describes another scene on the Grecian Urn. It is a
scene where people are on their way to present a heifer [cow] as a sacrifice to
one of their Gods. A priest leads the animal to be killed as a sacrifice. In
lines 35-30, the speaker imagines the town from where the people came as being
quiet and empty. He says:
"And little town thy streets forevermore/Will silent be; why thou art
desolate". In other words, we will never know why the sacrifice is being made
because the people in the scene are now gone. However, their actions will live
on forever because they are emblazoned on the urn.
Stanza 5 shows the effect the urn has on the speaker. He says it is like
looking at eternity. "Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought/As doth
eternity. ( lines 44-45). Then the speaker realizes both the sadness and the
strange peace he experiences because he is brought face to face with idea that
life is short. As the poem ends, the speaker sees the fact that even though the
beauty of the urn is timeless, it also reminds us of the brevity of our own
lives.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.