Bright star, would I were stedfast 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 stedfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow’d upon my fair love’s ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever–or else swoon to death.
Bright Star is a movie based on the last three years of John Keats life and his relationship with his muse Fanny Brawne. Though it was a Hollywood retelling of Keats romance, it was based on the biography ‘Keats’written by Andrew Motion. The highlight of the movie was really the poetry and letters by Keats. It is just nice to get this kind of insight on one of my literary heroes even in it was stylised a bit for the movie.
On a personal note, I was disappointed my favourite Keats poem wasn’t used; Ode to Melancholy is full of beauty and darkness
I’ve heard lots of good things about this film. Lots of people (including critics) have said that Abbie Cornish should have been nominated for best actress.
And regardless, I love Keats! 🙂
It’s nice that movies like this are even being made anymore. Almost surprising. Keats’s poetry is heartbreakingly beautiful.
I’ve always liked Keats poetry for that very reason
I just got to see this last week, a lovely elegant film, but I was kind of dissapointed they did not make greater use of the poetry.