The document provides analysis of John Keats's poem "To the Nile". It begins by giving background information on Keats and the structure of the poem. In the analysis, it summarizes that in the first 8 lines (octet) Keats treats the Nile reverently through metaphors, but in the last 6 lines (sestet) his perspective shifts to a more realistic one. The poem uses techniques like contrast, personification, and imagery to portray the majestic beauty and significance of the Nile River.

1. TO THE NILE
BY JOHN KEATS

2. Who is John Keats?
• Life Time( 31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821)
• He was an English Romantic Poet
• Literary movement – Romanticism
• Themes- Love,Nature,Life vs Death
• He was one of the main figures of the second
generation of Romantic poets
• Although his poems were not generally well received
by critics during his lifetime, his reputation grew
after his death, and by the end of the 19th century, he
had become one of the most beloved of all English
poets.

3. To the Nile(the poem)

4. About the poem
• Theme- Nature
• Sonnet with an octet and a sestet
• Written in Petrarchan style
• In the poem line number 9 makes a change of thought
• The poet has stepped out of his dreams of the charms of the nile and
has started to reflect on the beuty of the river
• The poet has also used archaic language to directly speak to the nile

5. Facts about the River Nile
• Historically, the Nile is said to be the cradle of one of the oldest civilizations in the
world: the Nile valley civilization or the Egyptian civilization which developed alongside
River Nile.
• Geographically, it is the longest river in Africa as well as in the world.
• The Nile can be called an international river as it flows through as many as nine
countries in Africa.
• The annual flooding of the Nile had become a blessing in disguise for Egyptians, as it
deposited the rich loam mud on the banks of the river which turned it into a fertile
landscape, ideal for agriculture.
• The Nile originates from the Moon Mountains just like the River Mahaweli originates
from Sri Pada or the Adams Peak.
• The two branches of the Nile, the White Nile and the Blue Nile are said to originate from
the two lakes- Lake Victoria and Lake Tana.
• However these lakes are fed from streams flowing from the ancient moon mountains so
their origin is still under research.

7. ANALYSIS
• “Son of the old moon mountains African”
The sonnet,ToThe Nile, by John Keats begins with the line “Son of the
Old Moon-Mountains African!”Through this line, the poet characterizes the
Nile River as the “son” of the old African Moon-Mountains.That is to say,
The Nile has its origin from the Moon Mountains quite like the River
Mahaweli has its origin from the Sri Pada or the Adams Peak Mountain.
In this line, the poet uses the poetic technique of inversion wherein the word
order is inverted or changed. Here you can see the inverted position of the
adjective “African”. Grammatically, an adjective normally comes before the
main noun, here it is, Moon-Mountains.
Also he uses the technique to personification personify the river nile to a
son and the moon mountains as his parents
(Ancient
moon
mountains)

8. • “Chief of the pyramid and crocodile”
In the next line, the Nile is called as the Chief of the Pyramid and Crocodile.The mention
of Pyramid and Crocodile relates to the ancient Egyptians who would build pyramids as
tombs for their kings and queens.They built these tombs with huge blocks of stones and
transported them through the Nile River in barges to the pyramid sites. It might not have
been possible otherwise to carry these stone blocks through the rugged desert lands
spread hundreds of miles.Thus, the poet rightly calls the Nile, the Chief of the pyramids.
Now let’s talk about crocodiles.The worlds most largest and deathliest crocodiles abound
in the banks of the great Nile .This signifies the great stature and beauty of the Nile as the
worlds longest river.These crocs are considered to be the God Osiris legends.
So the poet reflects on the idea that the Nile is a majestic river which is in control of two
legendry mythological aspects.
The word ‘Chief’ here personifies the river .

9. • “We call thee fruitful, and that very while
a desert fills our seeing's inward span:”
In the third line of this sonnet the poet calls the Nile fruitful as the mighty
river helps to sustain life in the Nile valley. It gives the people in the Nile
valley food through Agriculture and Fishing, and also gives them a safe
mode of transportation while also acting as an playground for
entertainment.The Nile itself is a symbol of fertility and prosperity.
The poet through this line refers to his imagination which is filled with a
desert. Imagination is at times called the “third eye” but the poet here refers
it to “seeing’s inward span”. In fact this line indicates that our imagination
consists of a desert whereas we are awe-struck at the fruitfulness of the
river. So, barrenness and fruitfulness are correlated.They are in fact
considered to be another wonder of nature.
The Nile is gushing through a land of barrenness and spreads fertility and

11. • “Nurse of swart nations since the world began”
Through the next line, the poet means that the river Nile, since time
immemorial, has been nourishing and providing food to the dark nations or
the Africans. Not only hasThe Nile River provided life to one country but to
a number of countries whereby it flows.
The swart nations consist of the Africans and the Nubians.The river has
nursed these people with great sole and heart. A nurse is someone who
treat people in such away to ensure that they live life from death. A nurse
can be called a messenger of god .If so then the Nile is the same it has
helped people to live and ensure their survival.The poet sees this through
the river Nile.
The word Nurse personifies the river to someone beautiful from within.

12. • “Art thou so fruitful? or dost thou beguile
Such men to honour thee, who, worn with toil,
Rest for a space ‘twixt Cairo and Decan”
The next line of this sonnet begins with a rhetorical question which is also followed by
another rhetorical question.Through this line the poet automatically shows how fruitful
the river is.
In the next line the poet says that river Nile is honoured by the people who suffer in life
to live life.The greatness of nature to help the needed is shown by this. Only the great
have this quality.
.The great Nile serves great deeds in Africa ends its journey in Cairo.The writer has said
that the river starts in Decan here .Decan in Egyptian lore refers to a group of
constellations (36 to be exact) thus, meaning the river is having a rest between land and
sky.That means that the Egyptian believed that this great river started its journey from
heaven and ended its journey in Cairo.
Here the words ’’ Art ,Thou, dost, twixt’’ are words of archaic language .Its another

13. Keats, So far (in the octave), has reverently or respectfully treated the Nile.
However, as the line number 9 begins with the sestet, we notice a ‘volta’ or a
turn in the line of thought:The poet’s outlook to the Nile River gets changed
from one of reverence to a realistic one.
• O may dark fancies err! They surely do;
Through this line, the poet says that imagination or fancy can
mislead us. Here we find Keats criticizing his own habit of day-
dreaming or ‘negative capability’. So, the poet now starts doubting
his “dark fancies” or his romantic fancy which carried him to the
exotic lands of ancient Egypt of Pyramids, Pharaohs and the great
Nile steeped in legends.The poet now becomes more ‘down-to-
earth’ and starts exploring the River from an aesthetic or artistic
viewpoint.

14. • “Tis ignorance that makes a barren waste
Of all beyond itself…’’
What does this line mean?Well, literally it means that fancy or imagination
can mislead us.
Here, he may be wondering at his own ignorance or the ignorance of the
Europeans whose ‘dark fancies’ about Africa consisted mainly of vast
deserts and giant pyramids.
So he is saying believing these fantasies is a wasteful, barren thing to do. He
says it’s a waste of everybodies valuable things to follow these myths.
These few lines juxtapose and contrast his views in the octet.So it’s the main
literary device used in the poem.

15. • “Thou dost bedew
Green rushes like our rivers, and dost taste
The pleasant sunrise. Green isles hast thou too,
And to the sea as happily dost haste”
The poet, in these lines, starts viewing the River in all its splendid beauty
when it majestically journeys or flows from its home to the sea. Here he
likens the Nile to “our rivers” whose plants with long leaves or green rushes
have been beautifully decked up with drops and dew of mistThis beautiful
visual image appeals to our eyes.The river also tastes ‘pleasant sunrise’.This
is a blend of gustatory and visual images.The river also consists of “green
isles”.The poet repeatedly uses ‘green’ to bring about an effect of lush
greenery which is quite contrary to the repeated term of ‘desert’ in the
octave. At the end he says the Nile is also just a river which has to follow the
laws of nature as it too has to blend in with the great ocean. Just like all

16. The Majestic Nile

17. Literary Techniques used
• Sonnet
• Contrast: Mythology vs. Reality
• Metaphor: ’son of the old moon mountains African
chief of the pyramid and crocodile’
• Personification: 'son of the old moon mountains African
chief of the pyramid and crocodile’
• Rhetorical Questions: ‘Art thou so fruitful?’
• Visual imagery: ‘Green rushes like our rivers’
‘Green isles has thou too’
• Archaic Language: usage of words like ‘Tis ,art,thou,haste’

18. Why these literary techniques are used in this poem?
• Contrast: To establish the main theme of the poem
• Metaphor: To bring out the grandiose beauty of the river Nile as well as to attribute
divine qualities for the river Nile.
• Personification: To directly address the Nile.
• Rhetorical question: To increase the curiosity of the reader and make them to stop
and think for a while.
• Visual Imagery: Allow reader to visualize all kinds of depictions of the river Nile in
their minds.
• Archaic Language: Contribute to bring out the grandiose beauty of the river Nile
by attributing a historical value to the river Nile.

19. Questions
• Mythology vs. Reality Comment.
• Keats present two images of the river Nile .Discuss.
• What makes To the Nile a good nature poem? Discuss.
• What is the main message of the sonnet To The Nile?
• In the poem to the Nile what's the poet’s attitude towards the river?Discuss.
• In the poem To the Nile the poet only appreciates the mythological aspects of the
Nile. Comment.
• The poem interprets the Grandiose beauty of nature.Comment.

20. “Nothing ever becomes Real till it is
experienced”
-John Keats