The central idea of the poem, ‘The Poetry of Earth’ written by John Keats, is the poetic manifestation of the earth which is symbolised through the songs of various creatures. The song of the earth never ceases, it continues forever. The poet opines with the firm conviction that the celebration of nature and life inherent in the poetry of earth is never dead. In summer, when the birds are too tired to sing the song of the earth, it is heard in the voice of the grasshopper. The poetry of earth is also a celebration of the eternal beauty of nature which is continually present through the cycle of seasons. In winter, when the earth is engulfed with frost, all lives seem to lose their vitality. A stony silence prevails everywhere, outcomes from the stove the shrill song of the cricket typifying the poem’s theme that the song of earth sung by different creatures actually never comes to an end.


‘A voice will run …’- Whose voice is referred to here? Where will the voice run? What is the significance of the voice?

The grasshopper’s voice is referred to here. The voice that hails nature will run from one hedge to the other, while the air is filled with the smell of lately mown grasses in the meadows. In summer, when all the birds become exhausted in the scorching heat, the grasshopper’s merry voice acts as an energy booster and breaks the silence of a summer day. The song of the grasshopper expresses immense joy and reflects on the inherent beauty of nature. With his indomitable spirit, he moves here and there and when he gets tired, he rests beneath ‘some pleasant weed’. His voice is so magical that it keeps the poetry of earth alive with his positive energy.