Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art - Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night, And watching, with eternal lids apart, Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite The moving waters at their priestlike task Of pure ablution round earth's human shores, Or gazing on the new soft fallen mask Of snow upon the mountains, and the moors - No - yet still steadfast, still unchangeable, Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast, To feel for ever its soft fall and swell, Awake forever in a sweet unrest, Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath, And so live ever - or else swoon to death.
About the headline (FAQ)
First published in Plymouth and Devonport Weekly Journal, September 1838, headed "Sonnet"Text Authorship:
- by John Keats (1795 - 1821), no title, written 1819? [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ronald A. Beckett , "Bright star", 2013, from To One who has been Long in City Pent. Four Poems by John Keats, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Frederick Shepherd Converse (1871 - 1940), "Bright star", op. 14 (Three love songs) no. 3, published 1903 [ baritone and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Michael G. Cunningham (b. 1937), "Bright star", 1974, first performed 1977 [ tenor and orchestra or piano ], from Symphonic Arias -- Night [sung text not yet checked]
- by Quinto Maganini (1897 - 1974), "Sonnet: Bright star", published 1934 [ medium-high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Jan Meyerowitz (1913 - 1998), "Bright star", published 1964 [ high voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, Sir (1848 - 1918), "Bright star", 1895-1896, published 1896 [ voice and piano ], from English Lyrics, Fourth Set, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Solomon Pimsleur (1900 - 1962), "Bright star", 1927-8 [ soprano, tenor, and string quartet or strings ], from Sonnet-Tableau [sung text not yet checked]
- by Betty Roe (b. 1930), "His last sonnet", published 2001 [ medium-high voice and piano ], from Three Dedications, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Christopher Shaw (b. 1924), "Bright star! would I were steadfast as thou art", first performed 1956 [ tenor and clarinet ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Roger Guy Steptoe (b. 1953), "Bright star! would I were steadfast as thou art", 1976, first performed 1978 [ tenor and piano ], from Five Songs for Tenor and Piano [sung text not yet checked]
- by Robert Still (1910 - 1971), "Sonnet" [sung text not yet checked]
- by Rudolph T. Werther (1896 - 1986), "His last sonnet" [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- GER German (Deutsch) (Richard Flatter) , "Letztes Sonett", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Lucente stella, esser potessi come te costante", copyright © 2010, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-05-02
Line count: 14
Word count: 102
Wär ich von Dauer, hoher Stern, wie du – Nein, nicht ein Leuchter, der die Nacht erhellt Und wie ein Wärter ohne Schlaf und Ruh Herniederschaut auf diese kranke Welt – Das Land der Menschen sieht, wie es die See, Als wär´s ihr frommes Amt, reinwaschen will – Oder das weiße Tuch, das frischer Schnee Auf Berg und Sumpf hinbreitet, rein und still – Nein, nur von solcher Dauer, daß ich mild, Gebettet an der Liebsten Blütenbrust, Ihr Atmen fühlte, wie es sinkt und schwillt, Der ewig süßen Unrast tief bewußt – Sie fühlen – lauschen – und so ewig leben Oder bewußtlos in den Tod entschweben.
Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.
Confirmed with Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten Übersetzt von Richard Flatter, Walter Krieg Verlag, Wien-Bad Bocklet-Zürich, 1954, 2nd edition (1st edition 1936), page 169.
Text Authorship:
- by Richard Flatter (1891 - 1960), "Letztes Sonett", appears in Die Fähre, Englische Lyrik aus fünf Jahrhunderten, first published 1936 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Based on:
- a text in English by John Keats (1795 - 1821), no title, written 1819?
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Researcher for this page: Volkmar Henschel
This text was added to the website: 2021-02-25
Line count: 14
Word count: 107