John Keats: Ode on a Grecian Urn

In Ode on a Grecian Urn, John Keats efficiently portrays that simple objects can capture a moment in time.  In the second stanza Keats writes, “Fair, youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare; Though winning near the goal yet, do not grieve; She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss, For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!”   This part of the poem indicates that the young couple shown upon this Urn are frozen in this moment of time. The boy playing his song for eternity never able to gain a kiss from his lover and the girl will always be there to listen to him play. This part of the poem can cause the audience to feel sorrow for the couple because they are trapped and unable to move on from this point in their life; from this section the audience is also left to wonder what would have happened if the couple they were able to continue on.  Another example of the moment of time being captured is when Keats writes, “And, little town, thy streets for evermore Will silent be; and not a soul to tell Why thou art desolate, can e'er return.” in the forth stanza.  With this line the audience is left to wonder why this town is empty but this mystery of the town will stay secret forever because the Urn is only showing this moment of time.