The voice I hear this passing night was heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;
The same that oft-times hath
Charmed magic casements, opening on the foam
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.

In this evocative passage from “Ode to a Nightingale,” Keats weaves together time and emotion through the timeless song of the nightingale. He imagines its melody traversing history, touching emperors and commoners alike, uniting them in a shared beauty that transcends social and temporal boundaries. The reference to Ruth, a figure from the Bible, underscores feelings of displacement and longing, as she stands "in tears amid the alien corn," homesick and forlorn. These sentiments resonate with Keats’s own melancholic yearning for escape from his mortal suffering. By suggesting that the nightingale’s song has "charmed magic casements" in "faery lands forlorn," Keats elevates its mythical quality, implying that it offers a temporary refuge from the harsh realities of life. This passage encapsulates the Romantic ideal of finding solace and transcendence in nature and art.