Customer Reviews

Hopkins: Poems (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets)

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Hopkins is one of those poets hidden from so many because of his subject matter, yet is considered one of the most influential Victorian poets for his use of word combinations, meter and image.

Added to the delicious and poignant poetry is the contemplative nature of his prose and poetry. In it, you'll read about his humility and submission to God, his genuine faith, his desire that his poetry exalt God and not Hopkins himself.

Most his work was published posthumously, as late as 1920 or so, and immediately influenced the likes of T.S. Elliot (AKA, the guy who wrote the poem "Cats" is based on and "Wasteland") and his contemporaries.

While Whitman and Wilde were exalting in themselves, and just after Emerson and Thoreau were helping us see creation, Hopkins demonstrated prowess in pointing readers to see the Creator in the creation.

Atheists won't agree with him, of course, but he says it so well, they will at least go, "Hmm... if I believed, I could see that... yeah, wow, well put." The Catholics will cheer him on, "Atta boy... yep, that guy's a Jesuit!" Not undone are the Protestants who will be so impressed in agreement they'll be happy he was a Christian.

Check out this snippet from "Pied Beauty" "Glory be to God for dappled things--/For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow;/For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;/Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches wings;/Landscape plotted and pieced--fold, fallow, and plough;/And 'all tra'des, their gear and tackle and trim." Those accents are in the original.

Delicious to say aloud? You should hear the second verse. His others are as tasty.

I fully recommend this book.

Anthony Trendl

Hopkins did not create an enormous body of work, but what he did create was some of the most intensely powerful poetry English Literature has known. They are all here in this volume, poems such as " Thou art indeed, just" " Felix Randal, the Farrier",
" Carrion Comfort" " Binsey Populars" " God's Grandeur". Hopkins whose masterfully original descriptions of the natural world are second to none was one of the great innovators in the history of English verse. His development of the concept of 'sprung rhythm' return to the system of emphasizing the 'stresses' in verse is the key to this.
Hopkins tormented soul , his contention with his own despair are present in his most beautiful and moving poems.

As usual the Gerard Manley Hopkins selection by the editors of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets does not disappoint. This book of Hopkin's poetry, letters and prose is a delightful and well thought out collection of one of England's finest pre-modern transcendent religious writers, with the wisdom to correspond with insight and wit about writing poetry. Another poet to add to my growing collection which now includes Shakespeare, Rilke, and others. Hats off and kudos to Alfred A. Knopf for continuing to produce these gems. Thank you Amazon for providing an essentialy new copy at a discount price!

Gerard Manley Hopkins explores his intuition, doubts and counters it with theology, only to find himself in a place of despair at the end of the process. Yet, I cannot read a Hopkins poem without feeling a resonance within myself, as I recognize truth and beauty. He shouts at the heaven's, and embraces the questions that keep him up at night. Tensions often seem high, as with "Thou Art Indeed Just," or "Nondum." The man pours himself straight out into his verse.

Just as Hopkins wrestles with the nature of God, so must a reader wrestle with this verse. There are instances when the poetry will open itself easily to interpretation, but most often his wordplay produces poems that are dense, and so loaded with implicit imagery that untangling takes time which many are unwilling to give. The first time I happened upon "That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire," I was tempted to think Hopkins may have treated poetry more like an obsessive game with himself than a literary outlet. (If you've never read it, take a break to google it - you'll understand).

This collection, however, brings the works together into a wholly realistic format; they are not haphazardly assembled. It begins with some of his most well-known and treasured poems, like "The Caged Skylark" and "God's Grandeur." They are short and rich and accessible. These are then followed by a couple longer pieces. The poems continue in this sort of cycle - about six to ten easier poems followed by some more challenging works. It makes for a controlled flow, and prepares you for Hopkins' most ambitious poems, which are located at the end of the verse section.

On top of that, the cloth bound hard cover looks great with a sharp jacket to boot. This book is worth every penny! (Though I would suggest searching the used listings, as you can often find one in great condition for very cheap).

This is a great little volume. HOWEVER, the copy I received is defective. The cover was bound onto the text upside down. Yuk. It's a pain to have to complain and send it back.