Dr. Thomas Dilworth joins us today to talk about the poem “As Kingfishers Catch Fire” by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889). After discussing the life of Hopkins and his early influences, we move through the poem line by line. Following our discussion, we have a special audio recital of the poem by our own Seth Wieck. Below you will find both the poem and the music chosen for this episode.
As Kingfishers Catch Fire
As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell's
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves — goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying Whát I dó is me: for that I came.
I say móre: the just man justices;
Keeps grace: thát keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God's eye what in God's eye he is —
Chríst — for Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men's faces.
The music used throughout the episode is the second movement from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8, Scherzando Allegratto, which you can listen to here:
Thanks for reading The Color of Dust! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.
