GerardManleyHopkins

AsKingfishersCatchFire,DragonfliesDraw
Flame
CompleteText
Askingfisherscatchfire,dragonfliesdrwflme;
Astumbledoverriminroundywells
Stonesring;likeeachtuckedstringtells,eachhungbells
Bowswungfindstonguetoflingoutbroaditsname;
Eachmortalthingdoesonethingandthesame:
Dealsoutthatbeingindoorseachonedwells;
Selvesgoesitself;myselfitspeaksandspells,
CryingWhtIdoisme:forthatIcame.
saymre:thejustmanjustices;
Kepsgrce:thtkeepsallhisgoingsgraces;
ActsinGodseyewhatinGodseyeheis
ChrstforChristplaysintenthousandplaces,
Lovelyinlimbs,andlovelyineyesnothis
TotheFatherthroughthefeaturesofmensfaces.

Summary
Thekingfisher,oneofthemostcolorfulbirdsinEngland,catchesfire
asthelightbringsitsplumagetoabrightradiance.Similarly,the
iridescentwingsofthedragonflyglintwithaflamelikebeauty.These
twoopticalimagesarefollowedbythreeauralones:thetinklingsoundof
pebblestosseddownwells,thepluckingofstringsonamusical
instrument,andtheringingofbellsasthebowswingslikeapendulum
tostrikethemetalside.Eachoftheseobjectsdoesexactlywhatitsnature
dictates,inakindof(unwilled)selfassertion.Moregenerally,every
mortalthingmightbethoughttodothesame:toexpressthatessence
thatdwellsinside(indoors)ofit.Selves(assumedlyfromthe
infinitivetoself,ortoselve,)isHopkinsscoinedverbforthatself
enacting,andheelaboratesuponthisprocessinthelinesthatfollow:to
selfistogooneself,tospeakandspellmyself,tocry,WhatIdois
me:forthatIcame.
Thenextstanzaextendsthisconceptfromobjecttoman.Justices(from
themadeupinfinitivetojustice)becomestheverbforthatwhichthe
justmandoesorenacts.Heharborsagrace(bestowedbyGod)that
revealsitselfinallhisgoingsoreverydayactivities.Andheactsbefore

GodasthebeingthatGodseeshimas,whichisChrist,whoisbothman
andGod.Christdwellseverywhereinbodiesandintheexpressionsof
humaneyes.ItisthebeautylentbyChristspresencethatmakesthe
featuresofmensfaceslovelyinGodssight.

Form
ThepoemisanItalian(orPetrarchan)sonnet:14linesdividedintoan
octaveandasestet.Hopkinssvariationsonstraightiambicpentameter
enhancetheideasthepoemexpresses,andthepoemprovidesoneofthe
bestexamplesofhisdexteroususeofmusicaleffects.Forexample,
examinethethirdline:Astumbledoverriminroundywells.Whilethe
lineisneatiambicpentameter,theiambsfallinsuchawaythattheysplit
thewordstumbled,over,androundy.Thissplitting(which
Hopkinscalledcounterpoint)effectsaregular,quick,andbrokenfeel,
andrecreatesbeautifullythereverberationsofstonesplunkingdowna
well.Thepatternbywhichtheconsonantsandvowelsarerepeatedand
variedreplicatesthesubtlebutdiscerniblechangeinpitchaspebblesof
differentshapesandsizesstrikethewaterbelow.Contrastingly,theeven
accentsinthephraseeachtuckedstringtellsissueforthinplucking
regularityandsonorousness.Inthepoemasawhole,the
disproportionatelylargenumberofaccentedwordscomplementsthe
conceptualemphasisonthethisness,orindividuality,ofeachthing.

Commentary
ThispoemoffersperhapsthemostdirectillustrationofHopkinsstheory
ofinscape.ThetermishardtodefinepreciselyevenHopkins
struggledtoarticulateitandcriticshavecarpedatlengthoveritsexact
meaning.Coinedonthemodelofthewordlandscape,thetermrefersto
theunifyingdesignsbywhichtheuniqueinterioressencesofathingare
heldtogether.Theworddoesnotmerelyrefertowhatisparticularand
individualaboutanobject,butpositsakindofinnerorderorpatternby
whichtheseindividualessencesformakindofharmoniouscomposition.
Moreover,inscapesimplyacreator;bypayingcloseenoughattentionto
observeinscapes,onemighthopetobeliftedtoaclosercontemplationof
God.Hopkinsoftentooktheideaofinscapeasastandardforthekindof
orderandbeautythatpoetrymighthopetoachieve.Therichdensityand
carefulpatterningofhispoemsreflect,therefore,atheologicalbeliefina
worldwhosecharacterisoneofsubtleandmagnificentdesign.
AswithmanyofHopkinsssonnets,thispoemturnsfromaphysicalfirst
parttoaspiritual,moral,ortheologicalsecondpart.Morespecifically,
thepoemshiftsitsfocusfrombeing(themerepassivepossessionof

essential,definingcharacteristics)tothemoreactivenotionofself
expression,andthentoactionitself.Hopkinsfirstdrawsonthephysical
beingofkingfishers,dragonflies,andstones:eachaspecthedescribesisa
partoftheunchangingnatureoftheobject.However,thesoundofthe
bellmovesusmoreintotherealmofdeliberateselfexpression.Hopkins
usesthewordtonguetolinktheinvoluntaryringingtotheconscious
powerofspeech.Thebellsringingisequivalenttoafling[ing]outofits
broadname,becausethesoundissouniquetothebellthatitdefinesthe
objectthewayanamedefinesathing.Alloftheworldsobjectspossess
andassertuniquenessinthewaythebelldoes,Hopkinsdeclares.And
thoughtheobjectshehasmentionedsofarareallinsensateor
unconscious,hepreparesusforthenextstanzabyextendingthe
characteristictoeachmortalthing.Theuseofselvesasaverbisone
ofthemostremarkablethingsaboutthispoem;bymakingthenounself
intoanactionword,Hopkinsenactshisthematicshiftfromtheideaof
substanceoressencetoaphaseofactivityandpurpose.
NowinthesestetHopkinsmakesthepromisedextensionfrominanimate
objecttohumanbeing;yettheselfassertingthatseemedsuchan
inevitableprocessfortheobjectsdescribedintheoctavetakesona
differentcharacterwhenappliedtoman.Theprocessiscomplicatedfor
humanbeings,becausehumanbeingspossessamoralcapacity.Thusthe
enactingoftheselfcannothappenunconsciouslyorautomatically;rather,
itmeansbecomingoneshighestself,oractingtothehighestofones
capacity.Amanisnotjust,Hopkinsasserts,untilhebehavesjustly,or
justices.Furthermore,theimplicationisthatheisnotfullyaman
unlesshedoessothatbeingjustispartoftheessenceofman,insofaras
thestrivingformoralperfectionispartofhisbasicexistence.Hopkins
thenextendsthisconcepttothetheologicalideaofGodsimmanencein
theworld,andtheChristianbeliefthatChristdwellswithintheheartsof
men.ItisbythegraceofGodthathumansarewhattheyare;more
specifically,itwasthroughdivinegracethatChristcametoredeemmen
fromsin.Hopkinsthereforeasksthatmenkeepgrace.Thisphrase
describesthehumbleacceptanceofGodsgracethatisthefirstgestureof
Christianlife.Thisacceptancewilllendgracetotheireverydaycomings
andgoings,andwillallowmantoactinGodseyewhatinGodseyehe
isthatis,tobecomeonewithChristandsofulfillthepurposeofhis
being.ThroughChrist,thisdailyactivitycanbecometruth,andthe
lovelinessofbodiesandfacescancorrespondtoalovelinessofsoulina
perfectChristianinscape.