The Windhover

The Windhover

Original Text
The Later Poetic Manuscripts of Gerard Manley Hopkins in Facsimile, ed. Norman H. MacKenzie (New York and London: Garland Publishing, 1991): 123. PR 4803 H44A6 1991 Robarts Library
To Christ our Lord
1I caught this morning morning's minion, king-
2    dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dáwn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
3    Of the rólling level úndernéath him steady áir, & stríding
4High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
5In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
6    As a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl & gliding
7    Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
8Stirred for a bird, -- the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!
9Brute beauty & valour & act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
10    Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion
11Times told lovelier, more dangerous, o my chevalier!
12    No wónder of it: shéer plód makes plóugh down síllion
13Shine, & blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
14    Fall, gáll themsélves, & gásh góld-vermílion.
Publication Start Year
1918
RPO poem Editors
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition
RPO 1996-2000.
Form