Friday, May 16, 2008

Poetry Friday - 11

We had our summer last weekend, now we're back to having Spring (by which I mean rain interspersed with sunshine), so this poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins sprang (ho, ho !) to mind:

Spring

Nothing is so beautiful as spring—
When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;
Thrush's eggs look little low heavens, and thrush
Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring
The ear, it strikes like lightings to hear him sing;
The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush
The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush
With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.

What is all this juice and all this joy?
A strain of the earth's sweet being in the beginning
In Eden garden.-Have, get, before it cloy,
Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning,
Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy,
Most, O maid's child, thy choice and worthy the winning.



GMH's poetry always seems to soothe my ear as well as my mind - the rhythms and the word choices focus my mind beautifully...


This week's Poetry Friday round-up is over at Two Writing Teachers.

6 comments:

Liz Garton Scanlon said...

Glassy pear tree... I love that...

Michele said...

And me !! GMH always manages to soothe me...

Andromeda Jazmon said...

...all in a rush with richness... sigh. Love this!

Michele said...

And the "descending blue" - I adore that whole line !

Anonymous said...

Sprung verse sprung to mind. You're punny! I posted his poem "The Windhover" on Tuesday - I almost posted this one, but the overt Christianity in the latter part wasn't working for me on Tuesday. Still, I love this poem.

Michele said...

Punny yes, funny not so much (I've had the sort of week that makes me wonder if I'm the last person on the Net that actually possessing a modicum of sense !)

I confess the second verse works less well for me, but the first is gorgeous !