[Rick Mullin]

In my reading, the poem is not necessarily about Keats, the last line chosen randomly as if from an anonymous Romantic poet (despite Keats "owning" the nightingale). It's the juxtaposition of the closing nonsequitur that makes it work. If you insist on it being about Keats, I don't really see what the problem is, as long as you give yourself over to the conceit with some sympathy for the poet (ie writer of this poem). It's not a knock out poem, verging on lite through most of the description, but it's very good.

My problem with the article is similar to my problem with the plaques next to paintings at museums. To most readers of the Times (millions of non-poetry readers) it assigns meaning to the poem and instructs on how to read it. Fmeh. And as a former journalist, I despise the online interactive machinations, which characterize the demise of all things written and otherwise civilized. Yuck.