Your round me roaming end, and under be my boughs?
When, when, Peace, will you, Peace?
I'll not play hypocrite
To my own heart: I yield you do come sometimes; but
That piecemeal peace is poor peace. What pure peace allows
Alarms of wars, the daunting wars, the death of it?
O surely, reaving Peace, my Lord should leave in lieu
Some good! And so he does leave Patience exquisite,
That plumes* to Peace thereafter. And when Peace does house**
He comes with work to do, he does not come to coo,
He comes to brood and sit.***
---Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1879
*plumes out, grows into a full-fledged bird
**make a dwelling
***to hatch something new & more special
Technorati Labels Gerard Manley Hopkins theology Holy Spirit God Christianity nature religion Catholic poetry literature poetry hope
Some good! And so he does leave Patience exquisite,
That plumes* to Peace thereafter. And when Peace does house**
He comes with work to do, he does not come to coo,
He comes to brood and sit.***
---Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1879
*plumes out, grows into a full-fledged bird
**make a dwelling
***to hatch something new & more special
Technorati Labels Gerard Manley Hopkins theology Holy Spirit God Christianity nature religion Catholic poetry literature poetry hope
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2 comments:
I don't remember reading this before; very good. I like the weight of his words.
I'm glad you enjoyed reading this poem. I think I'd like to get back to posting some Hopkins this year. I wrote my 1st Master's Thesis on him-- for a Lutheran seminary! (I got an MA. Our church doesn't have women pastors.)
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