Paradoxical truth

Ode on Grecian urn by Keats is a mysterious and absurd poem. Keats was
standing in front of the urn thinking. His thoughts took him away from logical
world to Paradoxical space of unacceptable conclusions. Ideas like constant vs
continuous, new and old and memories or actual life are presented in three
contradictory statements. First, the virgin bride gives birth. Second the unheard
song is sweet. Third, the old melody is new forever.
The vase seduces Keats to think of her. Where does she come from? What events
or people she was witness on?
It is an ancient pot, the title Grecian suggests that it there for long time, maybe
from the beginning when god created this world or maybe immortal men did. The
urn is a great story teller, a historian and unwed bride. Keats personalized the urn
to a virgin, to a bride to be. However, this bride gives birth to special child. This
unacceptable idea of untouched unfertilized woman is his absurd way to convey
that this child was nothing but the root of her silence and the time passing. The urn
need no man to bring a child to this life because it is the creator. By being witness
and share unaccountable events from place to another, it become powerful more
than everyone around it or passing by.
Keats lets his chaotic mind lead him to the man singing on the urn. He imagines
him playing a harmonic music yet this sweet melody id not heard. Not heard by the
physical ear but heard by the spirit. Keats examines the sense of creating the
perfect melody that melody which experiences only if you meditate on it. The idea
of the unreachable beauty, perfection is more spiritual than the physical song
which everyone has ear can hear. This is clear when he preferred the memory of a
moment with a lover rather kissing her and be satisfied physically.
Keats continues his meditation. He goes deeper to the old-new paradox. What
makes things old in our world is that they have been there for long time. But Keats
thinks of music from the urn as a new song whenever it played. It is new because
the time in the urn is not passing and the season is always spring. Although this
tune is played repeatedly or for long time, it still makes people happy when they
hear it. As it was played for the first time.
Despite the complication, Ode on Grecian urn is taking great philosophical
questions into further mental identification. By using paradoxical arguments Keats
manages to highlight ideas such as unchanging world against continues
uninterrupted life. The old-new things which worth remembering. And life, the
actual moment or keep it as a memory. These mental impressions are what make
this poem absurd and significant in the same time. And what makes reading it more
enjoyable.