DEEPER CHANGE

NEW RELEASE - From the "Deeper" series: Discover the one to spiritual formation and lasting changhe

Paperback 

or Kindle

Say yes to Students of Jesus in your inbox:

 

SEARCH THIS SITE:

Archive
Navigation
« The Secret Beauty of Forgiveness | Main | Who Is Welcome At Your Table? »

Saturday Song: Gerard Manley Hopkins

Gerard Manley Hopkins was ee cummings before cummings ever saw the light of day. You show get to know him.

(BTW ~ Why do poets seem more likely to use three names? Who knows? But these are three names worth knowing: Gerard. Manley. Hopkins. Maybe his friends called him "Gerry".)

Actually, they would've called him "Father Gerry" because Hopkins was a Catholic priest. Born in 1844 to an Anglican family, at 18 he converted to Catholicism and by 20 be became part of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits.

His work as a poet took second place to his priestly calling, because (at the poem below indicates) he saw clearly the glory of God in all human endeavor. He died a few weeks short of his 45th birthday, 1889. Nearly all of his work was published postumously.

Presumably he is still at work, creating ever-cooler stuff for us to enjoy later.

Pied Beatuy

 

 

GLORY be to God for dappled things—
  For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;
    For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
  Landscape plotted and pieced—fold, fallow, and plough;        
    And áll trádes, their gear and tackle and trim.
 
All things counter, original, spare, strange;
  Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)
    With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:        
                  Praise him.

 

 

Reader Comments (1)

How do I know this poem? It's so familiar to me, but I don't recognize the author's name. Do you know if it ever made it into a film or book, Ray?

August 26, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterAndrea Giordano

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>