NOT, I’ll not, carrion comfort, Despair, not feast on thee;
Not untwist—slack they may be—these last strands of man
In me or, most weary, cry I can no more. I can;
Can something, hope, wish day come, not choose not to be.
But ah, but O thou terrible, why wouldst thou rude on me
Thy wring-world right foot rock? lay a lionlimb against me? scan
With darksome devouring eyes my bruised bones? and fan,
O in turns of tempest, me heaped there; me frantic to avoid thee and flee?
Why? That my chaff might fly; my grain lie, sheer and clear.
Nay in all that toil, that coil, since (seems) I kissed the rod,
Hand rather, my heart lo! lapped strength, stole joy, would laugh, cheer.
Cheer whom though? The hero whose heaven-handling flung me, foot trod
Me? or me that fought him? O which one? is it each one? That night, that year
Of now done darkness I wretch lay wrestling with (my God!) my God.
- Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1885
May 10th, 2008 at 6:58 am
This is one of my very favorite pieces of writing. What a nice start to my morning.
May 10th, 2008 at 8:20 am
I’m so glad, Marianne; we were just introduced to this poem in Micro class and I think it has become one of my favorites as well.
May 10th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Erin,
This is probably your best picture. I don’t mean it is my favorite, I mean objectively the best. Also, the one of the bluehouse windows at night is probably your second best. Well done.
May 10th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Thanks, Noah! I really appreciate that.
May 17th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Yay! that is one of my favorite poems, too!
July 3rd, 2009 at 2:41 am
Good afternoon. See things as they are and write about them. Don?t waste your creative energy trying to make things up. Even if you are writing fiction, write the things you see and know.
I am from Dominican and know bad English, tell me right I wrote the following sentence: “Wide selection of dog flea tick treatments and flea control products, including flea collars, flea shampoo, flea combs, and products for removing fleas.”
Thanks for the help
, Gamal.