Of snow upon the mountains and the moors—. Keats has chosen a sonnet as his preferred form here, but it seems a mix between a Petrarchan and Shakespearean. Consequently, the star not only represents eternity but, also makes a conjunction with transience. Through his poems, sonnets and letters I see him as the lover who loses his life almost as soon as he finds it. Had he been as rigid as this brilliant star to hang on its own in the darkness of the night with its heavenly look then he would gaze with ‘eternal lids apart like a patient sleepless eremite’. — An introduction to Romanticism—the literary movement to which Keats belonged—from the British Library. Traditionally in the former, an idea is set out in the octave (the first eight lines) and is resolved in the sestet. Like the other Romantics, Keats can be viewed as an outsider and in this way his dreams and imaginations come alive. The alternative of death is presented as opposite as love; either love or die, “And so live ever—or else swoon to death”. 11To feel for ever its soft fall and swell. In the next section where the poet quickly negates the ideas mentioned previously. The first of these is unstressed and the second stressed. — A detailed biography of Keats from the Poetry Foundation. The snow is emphasizing the already lonely faces of the mountains and moors. An uncertain financial burden also put paid to his romance with Fanny Brawne, who many believe was the subject of ‘Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art’. Nevertheless, his biographers suggest different dates for this same poem, which contemplate his meeting with Fanny Brawne and, later, his engagement to her. To feel for ever its soft fall and swell. It too is cleansed and new, like the ‘human shores’. However, Keats’s reputation grew after his death and, by the end of the century; he was considered to be one of the best British poets of all times. Nevertheless, the poem was written between 1818 and 1819. btw plz like if ur watching in 2020 XD, ps. This may well be a plausible reason for death being a frequent theme in his work. However, the most important theme of the poem is eternal love. A certain melancholic tone can be perceived in the passive position of the star and its relation to the lyrical voice. Please log in again. Teachers and parents! Like ‘Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art’ by John Keats, the following poems similarly talk about eternal love and try to glorify the love between two souls. Join the conversation by. He would become a “patient, sleepless Eremite,” or hermit. His opening line is a perfect example of how this technique plays out with the emphasis on “Star,” “I,” “sted-,” “as” and “art.” There are a few moments though in which Keats switches to trochaic pentameter, meaning the first beat is stressed and the second unstressed. It is through advertising that we are able to contribute to charity. Keats probably gave the book to Joseph Severn in January 1821 before his death in February, aged 25. As its form, a combination of Shakespearean and Italian sonnets suggests, the poem portrays love as a subject full of seemingly contradictive qualities. The star is cut off from the beauties of nature on earth and is positioned as a passive observer of life. Keats and ‘Bright Star’ The great English Romantic poet John Keats created some of the best-loved poems in the tradition – ‘Ode to a Nightingale’, ‘The Eve of St. Agnes’, and the sonnet ‘Bright Star’. “Bright Star” by John Keats. And watching, with eternal lids apart, Keats wrote "Bright Star" in 1819 and revised it in 1820, perhaps on the (final) voyage to Italy. Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia. Finally, the poem acquires a dreamlike tone throughout the stanzas for its constant rhythm and night setting. In this final couplet of ‘Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art’, the lyrical voice emphasizes the figure of his loved one. eNotes plot summaries cover all the significant action of Bright Star! The poem was published in 1838,17 years after Keats’s death in The Plymouth and Devonport Weekly Journal. The poet compares the ebb and flow of the tides as a daily ritual of cleansing, hence the simile ‘priest-like task’. 12 Awake for ever in a sweet unrest. 1Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art—, 2 Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night. The iambic rhythm is unhurried, indeed languorous with the rich assonance, particularly in line ten with the repetition of soft ‘o’ sounds. He makes use of personification and a series of similes to describe it, as though it were a sentient and omnipresent being, looking down with benevolence and non-judgment at the world below. — A detailed biography of Keats from the Poetry Foundation. An important thing to note is that the division of the poem into octave and sestet is emphasized by a very prominent turn between the sections. November 23, 2019 November 23, 2019 richinaword Poetry analysis Tags: Fanny Brawne, Infatuation, Keats, Poetry. The end of a lover’s embrace, the images onan ancient urn, the reaping of grain in autumn—all of these … He describes how he can take the best aspects of a star’s life the “stedfast” and “unchangeable” parts and use them to his advantage. ‘Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art’ acquires a melancholic tone, as the lyrical voice longs to be someone else in several moments of the poem. Nevertheless, the poem was written between 1818 and 1819. Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast, The lyrical voice makes an emphasis on the importance of the figure of the star. In these lines of ‘Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art’, the speaker rejects the qualities and the star’s steadfastness, denying the statement made at the beginning of the stanza. As the star is mentioned and described, the setting can be thought of as a night environment. And, although nature and the figure of the star have very dissimilar connotations for the lyrical voice, they portray a certain tone towards life. He wrote it … Even before his diagnosis of terminal tuberculosis, Keatsfocused on death and its inevitability in his work. John Keats And A Summary of To Autumn. However, as has been pointed out, Keats is here thinking of Fanny as the evening star, Venus, whereas in the sonnet Keats’ ‘bright star’ is the North Star. The word “moor” is very personal to the English landscape. Bright Star - A poem by John Keats. It obscures the land just as a paper mask would obscure a wearer’s face. The login page will open in a new tab. The speaker, gazing upon the natural world, sees human qualities in the both the North Star above and the water below. The readers have frequently associated “Bright star” with Fanny Brawne, and the poem is thought of as a declaration of love. As the speaker acknowledges in the poem's final line, his or her fantasy is fragile, threatened by the death and change that eventually overwhelm all human beings. Additionally, in these lines, the lyrical voice makes a strong statement. He died at a very young age, at 25 years old, and his works had been published only four years before his death. The snow upon the mountains is described as a ‘new soft-fallen mask’ thus it is pristine and untarnished. Have a specific question about this poem? Friends and his doctor had urged him to try a common treatment for tuberculosis, a trip to Italy; however, Keats was aware that he was dying. Hence, the poet chooses a median path while talking about love as a whole be it, eternal love or physical love. Keats writes the … Hence, there’s a firmness in his tone and rationality. “Bright Star” is a sonnet by the British Romantic poet John Keats. The images revolving around the star, moving water, and the soft-fallen mask hints there is a peacefulness in the poet’s tone. — Listen to the poem in its entirety by British actor Tom Hiddleston. The Romantics (read the full definition & explanation with examples), Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art, Read the full text of “Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art”. Written in 1818 or 1819, the poem is a passionate declaration of undying, constant love. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem. Keats writes the poem in iambic pentameter. 13Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath. Moreover, in the second quatrain, nothing is rushed into. Just like the star, his eyes will remain open and his position decided. The star, and its eternal qualities, can be found in the loved one’s breast, building a strong bond between the main symbol of the poem and the lyrical voice’s loved one. Subscribe to our mailing list to get the latest and greatest poetry updates. He continues to reject the qualities of the star’s steadfastness. He is happiest with his head “Pillow’d” on her breast and intends to live there in his emotions for the rest of time. The final two lines also suggest that the speaker is content to be human since the star is inanimate and thus never able to enjoy human togetherness. Nevertheless, his biographers suggest different dates for this same poem, which contemplate his meeting with Fanny Brawne and, later, his engagement to her. "Bright Star" is widely considered to be the last poem John Keats wrote before he died at the age of twenty-five. The poet adores the steadfastness of the bright star. A portrait of love and loss, Jane Campion's film Bright Star chronicles the tragic love affair between John Keats and his neighbor, Fanny Brawne, throughout the years in which Keats wrote several of the most celebrated poems of the Romantic period. The repetition of ‘Still’ initiates a pause with the reader, as though we too are to hush and contemplate this snatched moment of bliss. Or it might be watching something else. However, the poetic persona does not want to be stuck in the sky with his eyes eternally watching nature. Although he died at the age of twenty-five, Keats had perhaps the most remarkable career of any English poet. It is worth reading about their relationship since his letters echo some of the sentiments found in the poem. Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath. To me, John Keats was the bright young star of the Romantic movement. This essay will discuss a close reading analysis of the poem “The Bright Star”. The final version of ‘Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art’ was supposedly copied into a volume of Shakespeare’s poetical works, opposite to ‘A Lover’s Complaint’. — A version of the poem handwritten into a volume of Shakespeare in 1820. Of the two meanings, the first one, from line 9, is the most unfamiliar to us – because it's old fashioned. 14And so live ever—or else swoon to death. The alliterative compound adverb ‘tender-taken’ again reinforces the sense of intimacy. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! He repeats the place of comfort in the breast of the loved one and the importance of his beloved in, “Still, still to hear tender-taken breath. Like nature’s patient, sleepless Eremite. The first line starts with a negation. He just wants to stay at his lover’s side for as long as he can, perhaps forever. — Listen to the poem in its entirety by British actor Tom Hiddleston. It is a shortened ode, a formal poem of meditative reflection. No—yet still stedfast, still unchangeable, “ Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art ... John Keats was born in London on 31 October 1795, the eldest of Thomas and Frances Jennings Keats’s four children. British Romanticism: John Keats was one of the central English figures in the literary and artistic movement known as romanticism.Romanticism arose in England at the turn of the 19th century with the emergence of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1798, just a few years after Keats… Because the star he's talking about doesn't move, it's likely that Keats means the North Star (a.k.a. Like, Subscribe and watch the rest of the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cje7agOUtkk&list=PL-lKzlv8IRtbes-o0bEAqY9M7SbDJ3yz5 You can read about 10 of the Best John Keats Poems here. More John Keats > sign up for poem-a-day Receive a new poem in your inbox daily. On one of Keats’s finest sonnets – analysed by Dr Oliver Tearle ‘Bright Star’, or ‘Bright star! He was an English Romantic poet and was one of the main figures of the second generation of Romantic poets, alongside Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. Having initially studied to become a surgeon, Keats felt torn between his passion for writing poetry, and his lack of critical acclaim distressed him greatly since he had given up so much to devote time to his craft. ‘Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art’ by John Keats begins with the speaker stating that he wants to be “stedfast” like a star. It refers to vast open lands that are often impossible to build on or cultivate. The sixth line adds more detail. There is strong natural imagery that portrays the force of nature in human life. Pillow’d upon my fair love’s ripening breast. In the last line, the tone somehow reflects a sense of intoxication. Moreover, there is a great elemental beauty in this poem as the Speaker uses majestic imagery to show the earth in all its beauty. In ‘Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art’, regarding meter, John Keats chose to mainly use iambic pentameter, the most common metrical patterns. With these new character traits in mind, he means to remain “Pillow’d upon” his lover’s “breast.” It becomes clear that Keats’ speaker does not have a desire to live over the world. The implication is clearly that he would like to preserve this moment forever, just as the star remains fixed in its eternal spot. Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask This device is present in the first two quatrains. The lines conform to the traditional Elizabethan or Shakespearean sonnet form and rhyme ababcdcdefefgg. Moreover, in these two lines, the lyrical voice expands on the qualities of the star. Keats uses the word "still" in this poem with two different meanings. The speaker fantasizes about this unchanging love—but it's not clear whether it can actually be achieved in real life. The poet takes recourse to a caesura in the third quatrain of the poem for marking a shift of the idea described in the previous section. The first part of the poem states that the speaker is somewhat interested in being a star and the second gives the reader a reason why. first comment! The Romantic poet John Keats wrote this poem. Apart from that, in the last few lines, the tone of the poem becomes emotional and excited as the poet senses the ups and downs of his beloved’s bosom. Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art— ... By John Keats About this Poet John Keats was born in London on 31 October 1795, the eldest of Thomas and Frances Jennings Keats’s four children. In the next few lines, the poet’s tone reflects directness as well as a sense of peace. Hence, natural imagery acquires also a melancholic tone, which was already introduced in the first stanza with the image of the star. Hence devotedly desires this quality. Analysis Of Bright Star By John Keats 1542 Words7 Pages In the famous poem “Bright Star”, dedicated to his lover Fanny Brawne, John Keats presents the essence of love in passion and in depth. To Autumn is one of the most popular poems in the English speaking world and is considered by many critics to be one of Keats's finest creations. The lyrical voice expresses his love: “To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,/ Awake for ever in a sweet unrest”. The speaker wants to be “stedfast”—constant and unchanging—like the “bright star” described in the poem’s first eight lines. They do not have anything to occupy their minds besides the troubles of humans down below nor do they have true companions. ‘Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art’ by John Keats encompasses several themes such as eternal love, purity, steadfastness, sensuality, and life vs death. Keats never saw the extent of his success, since he died from tuberculosis (or consumption) at this tender age of twenty-five. Assuming that the poem is addressed to Fanny, Keats met her in December 1818 and they declared their love for each other shortly afterwards. It is interesting to note that this change in meter occurs in the third quatrain where the change of direction has taken place; thus the form and meter of the poem mirrors its content. Keats uses the word “ablution.” It refers to ritual cleansing. No—yet still stedfast, still unchangeable. Literature is one of her greatest passions which she pursues through analysing poetry on Poem Analysis. Although he envies its immortality, it is he who is fortuitous enough to share this moment with his love. Polaris). Get the entire guide to “Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art” as a printable PDF. The sonnet with its measured space and serene dignity is a flawless composition in design and craftsmanship. Bright Star is influenced by the real life context of the Romanticists and the life and death of John Keats. Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art— However, in the speaker’s world he does not look out over the barren moors and mountains or the priest-like waters, he listens to his lover’s tender breaths and “live ever.” The only way he would face death now is if the emotions became too strong and he “swoon[ed] to death.”. We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously. Although he died at the age of twenty-five, Keats had perhaps the most remarkable career of any English poet. The inclusion of dashes and the omission of a full stop until the final sentence almost gives this sonnet a dreamy, trance-like rhythm, and gives the reader the time to digest the beautiful images which are reinforced throughout with their allusions to each other. Through the first line, the lyrical voice seeks a desire for an ideal and talks to the star. ... Born in 1795, John Keats was an English Romantic poet and author of three poems considered to be among the finest in the English language. 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