Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE WINDHOVER: TO CHRIST OUR LORD, by GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE WINDHOVER: TO CHRIST OUR LORD, by             Poem Explanation     Poet's Biography
First Line: I caught this morning morning's minion, king
Last Line: Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion.
Variant Title(s): The Windhover
Subject(s): Birds; Christianity; Falcons; Hawks; Jesus Christ; Religion; Theology


I caught this morning morning's minion, king-
dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
As a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird, - the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!

Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
Buckle! and the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!

No wonder of it: sheer plod makes plough down sillion
Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion.




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