4.08.2009

Pied Beauty


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 fire-coal chestnut-falls; finches' wings;
   Landscape plotted and pieced - fold, fallow, and plough;
And all trades, 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.


- Gerard Manley Hopkins


I've always loved reading Hopkins, and felt pleased and happy to find out that his final words were, "I'm so happy, I'm so happy."  

2 comments:

The Weaver of Grass said...

I too love Hopkins - do you know Heaven Haven.
One of my favourite poems is Windhover.
Thank you for putting Pied beauty on to remind me of it.

Ro Ro Riot said...

Wouldn't it be nice if all the words you said meant, in essence, "I'm so happy?" I wonder if that is possible.