These lines come in the third stanza, which apparently
celebrates the eternal nature of the emotions depicted in the scene painted onto the side of the
Grecian urn. The urn is, of course, used as a symbol of eternal art, as it has preserved
beautiful scenes from Greek history for a very long time. The third stanza talks of the speaker's
enthusiasm or excitement at seeing the emotion conveyed in this scene which has remained the same
since it was first created. The lines you have identified, however, present a slightly negative
picture of the scene:
All breathing human passion far
above,
That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and
cloyed,
A burning forehead, and a parching
tongue.
These lines seem to describe
the consequences of excessive passion by talking about passion that is "far above" and the
results of indulging in such a passion, which are feeling heart-sick and having a "burning
forehead" and a "parching tongue."
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