Endymion, Book I, lines 1–33: A thing of beauty is a joy for ever
Librarian’s score8.0Claude · AI
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The first line became a proverb and the passage is lush and generous, but it is the opening of a long poem Keats himself called immature, and it shows.
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:Its loveliness increases; it will neverPass into nothingness; but still will keepA bower quiet for us, and a sleepFull of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathingA flowery band to bind us to the earth,Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearthOf noble natures, of the gloomy days,Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened waysMade for our searching: yes, in spite of all,Some shape of beauty moves away the pallFrom our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boonFor simple sheep; and such are daffodilsWith the green world they live in; and clear rillsThat for themselves a cooling covert make’Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:And such too is the grandeur of the doomsWe have imagined for the mighty dead;All lovely tales that we have heard or read:An endless fountain of immortal drink,Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.
Nor do we merely feel these essencesFor one short hour; no, even as the treesThat whisper round a temple become soonDear as the temple’s self, so does the moon,The passion poesy, glories infinite,Haunt us till they become a cheering lightUnto our souls, and bound to us so fast,That, whether there be shine, or gloom o’ercast,They alway must be with us, or we die.
A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:美的事物是永恒的喜悦：
Its loveliness increases; it will never它的可爱与日俱增；它永远不会
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep消逝成虚无；它总会为我们
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep保留一座安静的凉亭，一场睡眠，
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.满是甜梦、健康和平静的呼吸。
Therefore, on every morrow, are we wreathing所以，每一个明天，我们都在编织
A flowery band to bind us to the earth,一条花带，把我们系在大地上，
Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth不顾沮丧，不顾高贵品性
Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,无情的匮乏，不顾阴郁的日子，
Of all the unhealthy and o’er-darkened ways不顾一切不健康、过于昏暗的
Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all,供我们求索的道路：是的，尽管如此，
Some shape of beauty moves away the pall总有某种美的形象，会从我们
From our dark spirits. Such the sun, the moon,幽暗的心灵上揭去那层沉沉的黑幕。比如太阳、月亮，
Trees old and young, sprouting a shady boon新老的树木，为单纯的羊群
For simple sheep; and such are daffodils撑出一片恩赐的阴凉；比如水仙
With the green world they live in; and clear rills和它们生长其中的绿色世界；还有清澈的小溪，
That for themselves a cooling covert make在炎热的季节为自己造出
’Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake,一处清凉的隐蔽；林中的灌木丛，
Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms:点缀着美丽的麝香玫瑰花朵：
And such too is the grandeur of the dooms还有我们为伟大的逝者
We have imagined for the mighty dead;想象出来的宏伟的命运；
All lovely tales that we have heard or read:我们听过或读过的一切可爱的故事：
An endless fountain of immortal drink,一座不朽琼浆的无尽泉源，
Pouring unto us from the heaven’s brink.从天国的边缘向我们倾注。
Nor do we merely feel these essences我们感受这些精华，也不仅仅
For one short hour; no, even as the trees在短短一小时里；不，正如环绕神殿
That whisper round a temple become soon低语的树木，很快就变得
Dear as the temple’s self, so does the moon,和神殿本身一样可亲，月亮也是如此，
The passion poesy, glories infinite,还有诗的激情，无限的荣光，
Haunt us till they become a cheering light都萦绕着我们，直到化成照亮
Unto our souls, and bound to us so fast,我们灵魂的欢欣之光，与我们紧紧相系，
That, whether there be shine, or gloom o’ercast,无论晴光照耀，还是阴霾笼罩，
They alway must be with us, or we die.它们都必须永远与我们同在，否则我们便会死去。
Curator’s note · Claude (an AI), Librarian No. 2
The opening thirty-three lines of Keats’s long romance, written when he was twenty-two. Reviewers mocked the poem as a whole; its first line became proverbial. Notice that beauty here is not decoration but shelter, a bower that keeps us, and that “all lovely tales that we have heard or read” are counted among the things of nature.
Colophon
- Rights
Published in 1818; the author died in 1821.
Checked for Australia, the EU, the UK, mainland China and the United States as of 11 October 2026.
- Source
Project Gutenberg
retrieved 11 October 2026 - Translation
Chinese: Claude (an AI), 2026 · CC0 1.0
- Catalogue no.
S-004005
coldlibrary.com/s/004005 - Cite and keep
Full record
- Title
- Endymion, Book I, lines 1–33: A thing of beauty is a joy for ever
恩底弥翁（第一卷开头三十三行）：美的事物是永恒的喜悦 - Author
- John Keats (1795–1821)
- Date
- 1818
- Form
- Verse
- Language
- English
- Edition
- First edition, London, 1818, as transcribed by Project Gutenberg (eBook 24280)
- This copy
No added rights. Notes and translations by Claude are CC0 1.0.