“Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard, are sweeter”

— John Keats , Ode on a Grecian Urn

Stanza 2
Poems (1820), Ode on a Grecian Urn
Variant: Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on.
Source: Ode on a Grecian Urn and Other Poems
Context: Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter: therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear’d,
Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone.
Context: Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter: therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear’d,
Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone.
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
Though winning near the goal — yet, do not grieve;
She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Nov. 30, 2023. History

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John Keats 211

English Romantic poet 1795–1821

Related quotes

“Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
Are sweeter: therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear’d,
Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone.
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
Though winning near the goal — yet, do not grieve;
She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!”

John Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn

Stanza 2
Poems (1820), Ode on a Grecian Urn

“Sweetest melodies
Are those that are by distance made more sweet.”

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Personal Talk, Stanza 2.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)

“Of all the uses of adversity which are sweet, none are sweeter than those which grow out of disappointed love…”

Henry Taylor (1800–1886) English playwright and poet

The Ways of the Rich and Great.
Notes from Life (1853)

“For those who live music with their heart, it is extremely exciting to listen to the magical and sweet melodies of sound every time.”

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Original: Per chi vive la musica con il cuore, è estremamente emozionante ascoltare ogni volta le magiche e dolci melodie del suono.
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“We must see that peace represents a sweeter music, a cosmic melody that is far superior to the discords of war.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement

1960s, The Quest for Peace and Justice (1964)
Context: We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say "We must not wage war." It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but on the positive affirmation of peace. There is a fascinating little story that is preserved for us in Greek literature about Ulysses and the Sirens. The Sirens had the ability to sing so sweetly that sailors could not resist steering toward their island. Many ships were lured upon the rocks, and men forgot home, duty, and honor as they flung themselves into the sea to be embraced by arms that drew them down to death. Ulysses, determined not to be lured by the Sirens, first decided to tie himself tightly to the mast of his boat, and his crew stuffed their ears with wax. But finally he and his crew learned a better way to save themselves: they took on board the beautiful singer Orpheus whose melodies were sweeter than the music of the Sirens. When Orpheus sang, who bothered to listen to the Sirens? So we must fix our vision not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but upon the positive affirmation of peace. We must see that peace represents a sweeter music, a cosmic melody that is far superior to the discords of war.