Friday 27 January 2012

the dare-gale skylark

The Caged Skylark

As a dare-gale skylark scanted in a dull cage,
Man's mounting spirit in his bone-house, mean house, dwells —
That bird beyond the remembering his free fells;
This in drudgery, day-labouring-out life's age.

Though aloft on turf or perch or poor low stage
Both sing sometímes the sweetest, sweetest spells,
Yet both droop deadly sómetimes in their cells
Or wring their barriers in bursts of fear or rage.

Not that the sweet-fowl, song-fowl, needs no rest —
Why, hear him, hear him babble & drop down to his nest,
But his own nest, wild nest, no prison.

Man's spirit will be flesh-bound, when found at best,
But uncumberèd: meadow-down is not distressed
For a rainbow footing it nor he for his bónes rísen.

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844 - 1889)

8 comments:

  1. I'm thinking
    of you
    and yours.

    xo

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  2. This was just what I needed to read right now. I so love it when I'm blessed with a gift such as this, gifted at the right precise moment of need. Therefore I the receiver thank YOU as the giver. Blessings.

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  3. I rather like that - MrsM is much better read than me, in living languages of course.

    WV: phabb

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  4. What a beautiful combination of painting (stunning!) and words.....

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  5. Lovely stuff! Odd accents though.

    MrM, did you get any coffee cake yet?

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