Question

bright star, would i were stedfast as thou art-- not in lone splendour hung aloft the night and watching, with eternal lids apart, like natures patient, sleepless eremite, the moving waters at their priestlike task of pure ablution round earths human shores, or gazing on the new soft - fallen mask of snow upon the mountains and the moors-- no--yet still stedfast, still unchangeable, pillowd upon my fair loves 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. a. its vastness as it looks down upon the mountains, as if they were mere actors wearing masks b. its spiritual importance as the overseer of all of earth, cleansing life of its impurities c. its indifference toward the trivial details that constitute human life on earth d. its constancy in contrast to the rapid changes the speaker undergoes e. its difference from the speakers love, who unfortunately will not live forever

Explanation:

The speaker in the poem wishes to be as steadfast as the star. The star is described as unchanging, watching over natural phenomena like water's ablution and snow - fall. This contrasts with the speaker's own life and experiences. The star's constancy is emphasized in contrast to the changes the speaker undergoes.

Answer:

D. its constancy in contrast to the rapid changes the speaker undergoes