I caught this morning morning's minion, king- dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing, As a skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding Stirred for a bird, – the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!
Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!
No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear, Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermilion.
“What would the world be, once bereft Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left, O let them be left, wildness and wet; Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.”
Gerard Manley Hopkins
"Falco sparverius, male." The New York Public Library, 1829.
Thoughts
This poem describes the speaker witnessing the awe-inspiring sight of a kestrel at dawn. It soars through the air in search of prey, hovers and swoops, in complete mastery of its maneuvers. The speaker is deeply moved by the bird's aerial skill and sees the bird as an expression of the beauty and majesty of creation. Ultimately he connects this beauty and majesty to that of Christ; to whom this poem is dedicated.
Receive a carefully selected poem each month — poetry made simple: just open and read. Perfect for anyone who wants to effortlessly cultivate the habit of reading poetry but doesn’t know where to start. Each short poem is chosen to spark exploration and introspection as you begin your own poetry journey.
