The Starlight Night
The Starlight Night
Original Text
The Later Poetic Manuscripts of Gerard Manley Hopkins in Facsimile, ed. Norman H. MacKenzie (New York and London: Garland Publishing, 1991): 103. PR 4803 H44A6 1991 Robarts Library
1Look at the stars! look, look up at the skies!
2 O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air!
3 The bright boroughs, the circle-citadels there!
4Down in dim woods the diamond delves! the elves'-eyes!
5The grey lawns cold where gold, where quickgold lies!
6 Wind-beat whitebeam! airy abeles set on a flare!
7 Flake-doves sent floating forth at a farmyard scare! --
8Ah well! it is all a purchase, all is a prize.
9Buy then! bid then! -- What? -- Prayer, patience, alms, vows.
10 Look, look: a May-mess, like on orchard boughs!
11Look! March-bloom, like on mealed-with-yellow sallows!
12 These are indeed the barn; withindoors house
13 The shocks. This piece-bright paling shuts the spouse
14Christ home, Christ and his mother and all his hallows.
Publication Start Year
1918
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition
RPO 1996-2000.
Rhyme
Form