The Poem Reader
The Poem Reader
Spring
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Spring

By Gerard Manley Hopkins (1849-1889)

Nothing is so beautiful as Spring –
When weeds, in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;
Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens, and thrush
Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring
The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing;
The glassy peartree leaves and blooms, they brush
The descending blue; that blue is all in a rush
With richness; the racing lambs too have fair their fling.

What is all this juice and all this joy?
A strain of the earth’s sweet being in the beginning
In Eden garden. – Have, get, before it cloy,
Before it cloud, Christ, lord, and sour with sinning,
Innocent mind and Mayday in girl and boy,
Most, O maid’s child, thy choice and worthy the winning.

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Discussion about this episode

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Brynmor James's avatar

An excellent poem, well read (and no doubt a difficult one to read, too, given Hopkins' unique and strange diction).

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Dominic Frisby's avatar

Yeah, it was tricky. I didn’t really know what I was doing so I just read it trying to make sense of it, which is my default position when I’m not quite sure what I’m doing.

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Dobermal's avatar

Ah lovely.

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