John Keats, Answer to a Sonnet Ending Thus—
  "Dark eyes are dearer far
  Than those that made the hyacinthine bell."
By J. H. Reynolds.

Blue! ’Tis the life of heaven,—the domain   Of Cynthia,—the wide palace of the sun,— The tent of Hesperus, and all his train,—   The bosom of clouds, gold, gray, and dun. Blue! ’Tis the life of waters—ocean   And all its vassal streams: pools numberless May rage, and foam, and fret, but never can   Subside, if not to dark-blue nativeness. Blue! Gentle cousin of the forest-green,   Married to green in all the sweetest flowers— Forget-me-not,—the blue-bell,—and, that queen   Of secrecy, the violet: what strange powers Hast thou, as a mere shadow! But how great,   When in an Eye thou art alive with fate!

— John Keats on Blue

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Blue! ’Tis the life of heaven,—the domain   Of Cynthia,—the wide palace of the sun,— The tent of Hesperus, and all his train,—   The bosom of clouds, gold, gray, and dun. Blue! ’Tis the life of waters—ocean   And all its vassal streams: pools numberless May rage, and foam, and fret, but never can   Subside, if not to dark-blue nativeness. Blue! Gentle cousin of the forest-green,   Married to green in all the sweetest flowers— Forget-me-not,—the blue-bell,—and, that queen   Of secrecy, the violet: what strange powers Hast thou, as a mere shadow! But how great,   When in an Eye thou art alive with fate!" in the context of "John Keats, Answer to a Sonnet Ending Thus—
  "Dark eyes are dearer far
  Than those that made the hyacinthine bell."
By J. H. Reynolds." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Blue" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
John Keats

About John Keats

John Keats (October 31, 1795 – February 23, 1821) was one of the principal poets of the English Romantic movement.