Two Romantic poems concerning nature are To Autumn by John Keats

Two Romantic poems concerning nature are To Autumn by John Keats

and Percy Bysshe Shelley’s To a Skylark. These two poems celebrate

different aspects of nature:

‘Compare how nature is presented two Romantic poems’

Poets of the Romantic Era tried to express their feelings of beauty,

nature and decay through poems and other means of literature. Two

Romantic poems concerning nature are “To Autumn” by John Keats and

Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “To a Skylark”. These two poems celebrate

different aspects of nature: as the title of the poem suggests “To

Autumn” is about the season of autumn, whereas “To a Skylark” is about

a skylark, a miniscule bird that is famous for its song. Percy Bysshe

Shelley compares the skylark to many different beautiful things to

show that the skylark is far more superior to them.

The vivid use of imagery throughout the two poems attracts the

reader's interest and conveys the writers' creativity. Both of the

poems are packed with imagery which not only shows their uniqueness

but also the intensity and sophistication of the poets. The first

stanza in “To Autumn” concerns itself with extolling the beauty and

floridity of autumn, appealing to the senses of sight and taste. The

first line immediately arouses visual senses with “mists and mellow

fruitfulness”. Keats uses “mellow” to depict the colour of autumn,

this is most likely to be the rustic colour of ripe fruits and leaves.

The purpose of “fruitfulness” reminds us of the harvest. The reason

that Keats chose “mists” is to remind us that we have more than just

the sense of sight. If something is misty it is unclear and perhaps we

have to rely on other senses more. Taste is also displayed in the

first stanza; Keats refers to the “sw...

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...al questions of which he reflects on and reaches conclusions

to.

In terms of the way nature is presented, “To Autumn” is more tangible

since we can identify with most of the images presented whereas “To a

Skylark” is based on opinion and the personal feelings and emotions of

Percy Bysshe Shelley. John Keats used imagery to depict the different

aspects of autumn but Shelley uses imagery to create a mystical

environment. The poems have different sounds: “To a Skylark” is a poem

of many questions and “To Autumn” has a number of words being

emphasised to create a long period of time and giving a general

feeling of abundance. The Romanticists wanted to express their

opinions of beauty, nature and decay and certainly John Keats and

Percy Bysshe Shelley have conveyed them strongly and use poetry to

admirable effect; they have certainly been heard by the world.