The truth in the Ode on a Grecian Urn by Keats and Cummings since feeling comes firstTruth remains an essential mystery : sought, created, and destroyed in countless metaphysical arguments throughout time. Whether considered absolute or relative, universal or personal, no thought is perceived or conceived without an evaluation of its truth. In John Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn" and E.E. Cummings's "For Feeling Comes First" the concern is not specifically the truth of a thought, but rather the general nature of truth; the foundation that gives the truth is the truth. Both poets replace inquiry with decision, and what would be argument in the hands of philosophers becomes example and sentiment in their poems. Each poet's examples create a resonance in the reader, designed to generate belief or provoke thought. Employing images of unconsummated deeds on an ancient urn carved with scenes of life, Keats suggests that "Beauty is truth, truth beauty"; Cummings, on the other hand, offers emotion as the foundation of truth and advocates living life fully through diction, thematic syntax, and imagery of accomplished action. Cummings' "For Feeling Comes First" contrasts the beauty of emotion and the inadequacy of mental analysis. In the third line, the focus on "syntax," synonymous with literary construction and order, ruins the emotional spontaneity, symbolized by a kiss. “To be a complete fool while spring is in the world” ignores social conventions in the pursuit of pleasure while “fool” and “Spring” complement each other and suggest the blossoming of love. Line six, “my blood approves,” focuses on the physical root of life and sidesteps the banal connotative baggage that comes with the word “heart.” Cummings then swears... in the middle of the paper... that it represents reality and easily identifies it with the story told by the "Sylvan historian". Therefore, the urn as historian provides the truth spoken of in the final line. Literally, the truth of the urn (its representation of life) is its beauty. The derived equivalence of truth and beauty allows for the concluding statement: "Beauty is truth, truth beauty." Through similar rhetorical features, “since feeling comes first” celebrates love and extols the virtue of intuitive, spontaneous emotion. Cummings' use of sensual imagery excludes methodical analysis and offers emotion as truth. Both poems come to separate conclusions and reflect the diversity of perspectives regarding the nature of truth. Works Cited Brooks, Cleanth. The urn well crafted. New York: Harcourt Brace Johanovich, 1975. Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1991.