John Keats

 

 

Ode on a Grecian Urn

Ode: lyrisk dikt tilegnet noe eller noen

Grecian = Greek

Urn: urne; greske urner var ofte dekorert med tegninger.

NB! Diktet gjør bruk av det gamle engelsk ordene for "du", thou og ye, og "din", thy, med tilhørende verbformer (sistnevnte er forklart nedenfor).

 

  

 

 

1

Thou still unravish’d bride of quietness,

unravished: ikke tatt med vold, jomfruelig

 

2

Thou foster-child of silence and slow time,

 

 

3

Sylvan historian, who canst thus express

Sylvan: hører til skogene

historian: historiker; også: forteller

 

4

A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:

tale: fortelling

 

5

What leaf-fring’d legend haunts about thy shape

fring’d = fringed: kranset

legend: legende; også: innskrift

haunts: gjensøker (ofte om gjenferd)

 

6

Of deities or mortals, or of both,

deities: guder

mortals: dødelige

 

7

In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?

Tempe: idyllisk dal ved Olympos-fjellet, i Thessalia det gamle Hellas

Arcady = Arcadia: Arkadien, fjellområde på Peloponnes i det gamle Hellas, senere idyllisert til hyrdenes paradisiske tilholdsted i pastoraldiktningen

 

8

What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?

maidens: jenter, jomfruer

loth = loath: uvillige

 

9

What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?

pursuit: jakt, forfølgelse

struggle: kamp

escape: flukt

 

10

What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?

piper: fløyter

timbrels: slaginstrumenter (håndholdte, f.eks. tamburiner)

 

 

  

 

 

11

Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard

 

 

12

Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;

 

 

13

Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear’d,

endear’d = endeared: kjært

 

14

Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:

pipe: spill! (fløyte)

spirit: ånd

ditties: enkle viser eller melodier

of no tone: uten toner

 

15

Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave

fair: vakker, lys

canst = can

 

16

Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;

 

 

17

Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,

canst = can

 

18

Though winning near the goal yet, do not grieve;

grieve: sørge

 

19

She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,

fade: bli mer utydelig, slokne, visne

hast = have

bliss: lykke, lykksalighet

 

20

For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!

wilt = will

fair: vakker, lys

 

 

  

 

 

21

Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed

boughs: grener

shed: la falle

 

22

Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu;

bid: be, tilby

adieu: farvel

 

23

And, happy melodist, unwearied,

unwearied: utrøtt

 

24

For ever piping songs for ever new;

piping: spillende (fløyte)

 

25

More happy love! more happy, happy love!

 

 

26

For ever warm and still to be enjoy’d,

enjoy’d = enjoyed

 

27

For ever panting, and for ever young;

panting: pesende

 

28

All breathing human passion far above,

all breathing human passion far above (inversjon) = far above all breathing human passion

 

29

That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy’d,

sorrowful, full av sorg

cloy’d = cloyed: overmett

 

30

A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.

forehead: panne

parching: varm & tørr

 

 

 

 

 

31

Who are these coming to the sacrifice?

sacrifice: offer

 

32

To what green altar, O mysterious priest,

 

 

33

Lead’st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,

lead’st = lead

heifer: kvige (ung ku)

lowing: rautende

 

34

And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?

silken: silkaktige

flanks: sider

garlands: blomsterkranser

drest = dressed

 

35

What little town by river or sea shore,

 

 

36

Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,

mountain-built: bygget i fjellet

citadel: festning

 

37

Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn?

pious: gudstro, respektful

morn = morning

 

38

And, little town, thy streets for evermore

 

 

39

Will silent be; and not a soul to tell

 

 

40

Why thou art desolate, can e’er return.

art = are

desolate: øde, forlatt

e’er (1 stavelse) = ever

 

 

 

 

 

 

41

O Attic shape! Fair attitude! with brede

Attic: attisk, altså fra Attika, et område i Hellas (inbefatter Athen)

brede = braid: flette, dekorativ kant; Kenneth Burke har påpekt ordspillet med breed: avel, rase

 

42

Of marble men and maidens overwrought,

marble: marmor

maidens: jenter, jomfruer

overwrought: påført, innvirket; overopphisset

 

43

With forest branches and the trodden weed;

trodden: tråknet

weed: planter, ugress

 

44

Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought

dost = do

tease: erte

tease out: lirke ut

bring us out of thought: bringe oss ut av tankene el. tankenes verden

 

45

As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!

doth = does

Pastoral: hyrdedikt

 

46

When old age shall this generation waste,

waste: legge øde

 

47

Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe

shalt = shall

in midst = in (the) middle

 

48

Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st,

say’st = say

 

49

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all

 

 

50

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."

I første bokutgivelse (1820) kommer sitattegnet allerede i vers 49, etter andre komma. I den tidligere utgivelsen i Annals of the Fine Arts 4 (januar 1820) er det ingen sitattegn overhode i vers 49-50. Denne versjonen og håndskrifter uten sitattegn er grunnlaget for senere redaktørers tolkning av hele vers 49-50 som replikk.