Bright Star, would I were stedfast as thou art

 

ACTIVITY •

Use the following sonnet by John Keats to answer the questions above.

Bright Star, would I were stedfast as thou art —

JOHN KEATS

Bright Star, would I were stedfast as thou art —

Not in lone splendor hung aloft the night,

And watching, with eternal lids apart,

Like nature’s patient, sleepless Eremite,1

The moving waters at their priestlike task 5

Of pure ablution round earth’s human shores,

Or gazing on the new soft-fallen masque

Of snow upon the mountains and the moors —

1Hermit, particularly one under a religious vow. — Eds.

No — yet still stedfast, still unchangeable

Pillow’d upon my fair love’s ripening breast, 10

To feel for ever its soft swell and fall,

Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,

Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,

And so live ever — or else swoon to death —

[1820]

 

A Sample Close Analysis

Now that we’ve considered some of the specific techniques poets use to convey their

message, let’s look at a poem by Robert Herrick, “Delight in Disorder,” in which he

describes the appeal of dressing in a way that is careless — or seemingly so.

A sweet disorder in the dress

Kindles in clothes a wantonness.

A lawn1 about the shoulders thrown

Into a fine distraction;

An erring lace, which here and there 5

Enthralls the crimson stomacher,2

A cuff neglectful, and thereby

Ribbons to flow confusedly;

A winning wave, deserving note,

In the tempestuous petticoat; 10

A careless shoestring, in whose tie

I see a wild civility;

Do more bewitch me than when art

Is too precise in every part.

[1648]

This is a great poem for practicing close reading. Written over 350 years ago, it

may seem difficult at first; after a few readings, though, its meaning becomes clear,

and it offers some obvious examples of how style and structure create deeper meaning

and nuance.

First, be sure you understand what Herrick is talking about. The speaker describes

in detail a woman’s clothing — style, color, and fabric. Some of the vocabulary is

unfamiliar to readers today, such as lawn and stomacher. Other words, such as petticoat,

may be archaic, but you have probably come across them before. As always, if

you don’t know what something means, you should look it up.

As you read the poem, you might have noticed the personification. The speaker

notes the “fine distraction” of the scarf thrown over the woman’s shoulders, a “cuff”

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR READING POETRY CLOSELY 31

1Linen scarf. — Eds.

2A piece of stiff, embroidered cloth worn over the stomach. — Eds.

32 CHAPTER 2 • CLOSE READING

that is “neglectful,” ribbons that “flow confusedly,” and a “tempestuous petticoat.” The

personification suggests that the clothes reflect qualities of the person wearing them.

Similarly, the “erring lace” “[e]nthralls the crimson stomacher,” as if a mere decoration

could take such deliberate action. Two oxymorons (paradoxes made up of two seemingly

contradictory words) support the possibility that something is going on other

than the literal description of clothing. The opening line refers to a “sweet disorder,” but

most would consider disorder unsettling, hardly “sweet”; later, the speaker sees a “wild

civility,” another seeming contradiction, because how can “civility” — or courteous

behavior — be “wild”? Now that you’re aware of the personification and the oxymorons

in this poem, reread it to see if you can pick up on what they suggest.

Note the words suggesting passion: Kindles, wantonness, crimson, tempestuous,

and bewitch. Is this poem actually about seduction? If so, its indirect manner is not

overtly sexual or vulgar but flirtatious, sly, even mischievous. Alliteration adds a teasing

singsong quality: “Delight . . . Disorder,” “winning wave,” and “precise . . . part.”

Further, the symmetry of the alliteration brings a bit of order into the description of

disorder — but only a bit.

We might look to the structure of the poem for further evidence of the playful

tone. The structure seems regular and predictable. The fourteen lines are presented in

seven rhymed pairs, or couplets, most having eight syllables. The opening and closing

couplets have exactly rhyming final syllables (“dress” / “wantonness” and “art” / “part”).

Notice the neatly repeating parallel structure of lines 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. However, there

are inconsistencies within the poem. Some of the rhymes are only near rhymes (e.g.,

ll. 11 and 12: “tie” does not rhyme with “civility”). The poem’s lines are in iambic

tetrameter, but the rhythm is not always even. The evenness of the opening line, for

instance (“A sweet disorder in the dress”) is violated by line 10 (“In the tempestuous

petticoat”). It seems Herrick’s contention that “disorder” can be “sweet” is reflected

in the structure of the poem.

Or, put in more thematic terms, Herrick might be reminding us that appearances

can be deceiving, that perfection may not be as appealing as charming imperfections.

Or, given the cultural mores of his time dictating strict outward propriety, he might

be telling his readers that passion lurks just beneath the veneer of polite society.