The Background
"Bright Star" is a unique poem composed by John Keats in 1819. It has been published in several collections of poems and some literary works. However, the poem was officially published in 1838 after Keats’s death in a Journal captioned "The Plymouth and Devonport".

The Structure
The poem Bright Star is written in sonnet form. That means it has 14 lines. It also has a noticeable rhyming scheme. The poet employed several poetic devices like personification, oxymoron, and irony in conveying his message.

The Meaning
The poem Bright Star starts with the speaker talking to a bright star. The speaker marvels at the steadfastness of the start and wishes to be like that. The particular star referred in the poem is the "Polari" or the North Star which remains fixed in the sky. In most cases, mariners use it for their daily navigation. Meanwhile, the speaker explains further his position about being like a star. He begins to hate the idea of staying lonely for eternity just like the star. He dreams of spending his eternity resting his head on the breast of his girlfriend. He says he’ll rather die if he can’t spend eternity the way he desires.

The poet uses a melancholic tone all through the poem. The theme is all about the desire to live in a stable or unchangeable state just like the star. The speaker wonders about the ever changing nature of human life and wishes to bypass that. He wants to be static like the star. He’s ready to pay the price. However, living like the star is impossible. The speaker actually recognizes this and end up having a melancholic feeling.

You can also find here the recitation of Bright Star