This is a poem that presents us with the speaker looking
at the stars at night only to be struck with complete awe at their beauty and majesty.
Focus on the way in which the stars are described. The speaker uses metaphors to compare
them to precious stones, obviously emphasising both the way they emit light and also
their unestimable value, describing them as "White and topaz, / And misty red." The poem
then continues to imbue these stars with life as they are described as "Myriads with
beating / Hearts of fire" and are said to be so old and ancient that even aeons are
unable to "Vex or tire" them. As the speaker watches their "stately and still" progess
up the dome of heaven, her response is one of complete awe as she is forced to
contemplate the beauty of the stars and also is forced to evaluate her own smallness in
the light of their majesty:
And I know that I
Am honored to
be
Witness
Of so much
majesty.
Notice the way in
which the word "Witness" is given a line to itself, clearly indicating that it is
important. This poem, like so many other poems by Sarah Teasdale, shows the beauty of
nature in our world if we have eyes to see it. The implication of this poem is that we
are all able to be a "Witness" of such staggering sights, if we change the way that we
look at nature and can therefore open ourselves to see its
majesty.
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