God’s Grandeur

Gerald Manley Hopkins

God’s Grandeur

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.        It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;        It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oilCrushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;        And all is seared with trade; Bleared, smeared with toil;        And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soilIs bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod. And for all this, nature is never spent;        There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;And though the last lights off the black West went        Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs — Because the Holy Ghost over the bent        World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.        It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;        It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oilCrushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;        And all is seared with trade; Bleared, smeared with toil;        And wears man‘s smudge and shares man's smell: the soilIs bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod. And for all this, nature is never spent;        There llives the dearest freshness deep down things;And though the llast llights off the black West went        Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs — Because the Holy Ghost over the bent        World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

Musicality…

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.        It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;        It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oilCrushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;        And all is seared with trade; Bleared, smeared with toil;        And wears man‘s smudge and shares man's smell: the soilIs bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod. And for all this, nature is never spent;        There llives the dearest freshness deep down things;And though the llast llights off the black West went        Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs — Because the Holy Ghost over the bent        World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

Musicality…

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.        It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;        It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oilCrushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;        And all is seared with trade; Bleared, smeared with toil;        And wears man‘s smudge and shares man's smell: the soilIs bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod. And for all this, nature is never spent;        There llives the dearest freshness deep down things;And though the llast llights off the black West went        Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs — Because the Holy Ghost over the bent        World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

God’s Grandeur

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.        It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;        It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oilCrushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;        And all is seared with trade; Bleared, smeared with toil;        And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soilIs bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod. And for all this, nature is never spent;        There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;And though the last lights off the black West went        Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs — Because the Holy Ghost over the bent        World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

PETRARCHAN / ITALIAN SONNET

SHIFT IN THE ARGUMENT OF THE POEM

Describes a natural world through which God’s presence runs like an electric current….

Flash out – becomes

momentarily visible

Simile

i.e. God’s grandeur

Simile

Clear, strong proof of God’s presence in the world

?

Despite the proof of his existence, humans fail to heed His divine authority

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

        It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;        It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oilCrushed.

Why do men then now not reck his rod? 9

stressed syllables

God’s grandeur is compared to an electric current – invisible – builds up pressure and then “bursts”

out like flashing foil; oozing oil

GOD AS ELECTRICITY

• links the secular and scientific to mystery, divinity & religion

• was area of much research and interest during poet’s time

• had always been seen as an indication of God’s power

• was being explained in rational and scientific terms

• Hopkins does not ignore the discoveries of science but takes them as further evidence of “God’s grandeur”

Pounding syllables suggest passage of time and the sound of plodding footsteps

Heavy weight of years of progressBlind, monotonous repetition of human labour

Describes the state of contemporary human life…

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

        And all is seared with trade; Bleared, smeared with toil;

        And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

?The prioritization of industry, trade, commerce and economics over spirituality

We have lost our physical connection with the earth – ever increasing spiritual alienation from nature

“nor can foot feel, being shod”

And for all this, nature is never spent;        There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;And though the last lights off the black West went

Despite all this…Exhausted – despite man’s attitude,

nature continues to be generous

Continual renewing and rejuvenating power of God’s

creation

        Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs — Because the Holy Ghost over the bent        World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

The light of morning always dispels the darkness of night

METAPHOR

God guards the potential of the world – continues with the power and promise of continual rebirth

! = awe and joy

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 ”It gathers to a greatness, like the

ooze of oil / Crushed. “

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