Stars Wheel in Purple by H.D.: An Analysis

Stars Wheel in Purple
By H.D.

Stars wheel in purple, yours is not so rare
as Hesperus, nor yet so great a star
as bright Aldeboran or Sirius,
nor yet the stained and brilliant one of War;

stars turn in purple, glorious to the sight;
yours is not gracious as the Pleiads are
nor as Orion's sapphires, luminous;

yet disenchanted, cold, imperious face,
when all the others blighted, reel and fall,
your star, steel-set, keeps lone and frigid tryst
to freighted ships, baffled in wind and blast.

The poems of Hilda Doolittle gave birth to the Imagist movement so it is only proper that we start our exploration of Imagisim with her. This poem may feel confusing at first but the first step to understanding it would be a little background in astronomy.

Hesperus is the "evening star" (Venus in the evening)
Aldeboran is the brightest star in the Taurus constellation
Sirius is know as the "Dog Star" and is the brightest star in the night sky
"the stained and brilliant one of War" refers to the planet Mars
the Pleiads are a group of stars in the Taurus constellation
"Orion's sapphires" referrs to the line of stars in the constellation Orion that make up Orion's belt

Even if you knew or guessed that all those things were astronomical bodies doesn't the poem make more sense now that you know a little bit more about the night sky?

So what H.D. is saying, this star, "wheeling through space" (i.e. moving smoothly) is not rare, like a sighting of Hesperus and it's not as bright as Aldeboran or Sirius or Mars. It's not as pretty as the Pleiads or Orion's belt is but there is something special about it.

What's special about the star, along with clues to what this star is can be found in the last stanza. H.D. tells the star that when "all the others blighted, reel and fall,/your star, steel-set, keeps lone and frigid tryst/to freighted ships, baffled in wind and blast."

When all the other stars fail, this star stays stationary ("steel-set") and never breaks it's appointment ("tryst") to lost and frightened (here the play on words is the similarity between "freighted" meaning loaded with cargo and "frightened") ships "baffled in wind and blast" at sea.

What other star could this be but the North Star in the constellation of the Big Dipper? While unremarkable in many ways, this star is the second most important star in the sky after our own sun. H.D. is reminding the star of this when it might be feeling outshone by its brighter, prettier neighbors.

This star, moving smoothly through a deep purple night sky keeps sailors on course in a lonely ocean.

Works Cited: "H. D. - Stars Wheel in Purple." American Poems. N.p., 16 Jan 2006. Web. 3 Jun 2010.

(Note: Featured photograph was taken by Terri Moody)