“The poem, titled ‘Pied Beauty,’ serves as both a hymn and a partial sonnet, initially aiming to exalt God for the wondrous diversity found in the world. The use of the word ‘pied’ highlights the various shades of color that ultimately lead to a multitude of forms of beauty. This notion of myriad beauty is further reinforced through the poem’s title itself. The poem posits that all the beauty in the world stems from the unchanging beauty of God, offering a compelling rationale for why we should ‘praise him.’ The consistent and prevailing theme interwoven throughout this poem undoubtedly centers on the act of glorifying God.”
Gerard Manley Hopkins, the poet, presents his message by emphasizing the contrast between variety in the second stanza and what is constant and unchanging in the first stanza. Religion plays a significant role in this poem as Hopkins discusses God’s role in creating everlasting beauty found in natural objects. Hopkins’ perspective portrays his strong religious beliefs, viewing God as the Ultimate being. In a world of impermanence, Hopkins sees God as surpassing all of that, providing readers with a sense of stability, as His beauty is eternal. The final line, “praise him,” slows down the rhythm through the use of sibilance, creating a harmonious balance. Additionally, the second stanza explores the importance of contrast, as it is through contrast that we can distinguish what is good or bad. Hopkins’ tone throughout the poem is proud and positive, amplifying with the rhythm in the second stanza through alliteration and sibilance. The poem’s overall message is to praise God, conveyed by evoking vivid imagery and a rhythmic flow.
The first stanza of the poem features lines that are mostly of the same length, with the shortest being the first line, creating a sense of simplicity. The opening line, “glory be to God for dappled things,” emphasizes the significance of God and the praise He deserves for His role in creating diverse elements in the world. Hopkins continues to highlight the everlasting beauty of nature in this stanza, such as “skies of coupled-color as a brinded cow.” This phrase suggests the imagery of cloudy blue skies, similar to the patterned coat of a brinded cow, again emphasizing the theme of variety.
In the next line of the poem, Hopkins describes trouts as having ‘rose moles,’ which suggests that their pink scales shimmer underwater, conveying beauty in various locations. Hopkins also portrays chestnuts as ‘fresh fire coal chestnut falls,’ evoking a sense of energy and excitement within the poem’s tone. The falling chestnuts are associated with beauty, as are the ‘finches wings,’ which are described for their elegant array of colors.
The text describes how the listing starts in the next few lines, specifically in the 5th line where it depicts the beauty of a landscape that is plotted and pieced. This portrayal showcases simple excitement through the usage of words such as ‘fold, fallow and plough,’ which also create a quicker pace. The first stanza employs various language techniques to highlight the beauty present in small and unexpected aspects of nature, as well as man-made objects. Additionally, it concludes by praising God for all of this beauty. The following stanza introduces more listing, which serves to increase the tempo and convey the narrator’s enthusiasm for nature and its inherent beauty, ultimately leading to further appreciation for God’s creations.
In general, the lines in the poem are shorter than before, possibly because the rhythm has increased. The first line of the second stanza already introduces a contrast in the world by stating, ‘All things counter, original, spare, strange.’ The list continues to build up towards a climax with ‘whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?).’ The rhetorical question slows down the listing, as ‘Swift, slow, sweet, sour, adazzle, dim,’ exemplify. This creates an explosion of sound and sprung rhythm.
The employment of opposing words emphasizes the significance of contrast in the world. Subsequently, the subsequent phrase depicts God as the creator of all things, whose beauty transcends change. This expression instills a feeling of reassurance, as amidst all the fluctuations in the world, some elements remain consistent. This sense of security arises from the inherent fear of uncertainty surrounding the future. The preceding two lines also establish contrast when juxtaposed, as they showcase contradictory qualities such as ‘sift’ and ‘slow’, ‘sweet’ and ‘sour’. However, the subsequent line diverges from this contrast by highlighting the concept of unchanging beauty instead of beauty that exists in opposition.
The last stanza of the poem sums everything up with the words ‘praise him.’ Although the pace slows down, the excitement from earlier in the poem is still present, making the last line simple yet impactful. The choice of words in the poem makes it memorable. The use of semantic fields emphasizes the overall meaning. The first line, ‘Glory be to God for dappled things,’ introduces God and highlights his importance with the mention of ‘dappled things,’ implying a variety of colors.
The term “dappled” evokes images of vibrant colors and movement, constantly changing yet distinct each morning. Hopkins skillfully chooses words that encourage readers to visualize their own imagery and ultimately praise God. Additionally, the use of the phrase “coupled-color” to describe variety further expands the semantic field to likely include variety in the opening lines. The mention of “finches wings” carries connotations of freedom.
The author likely used the wings to symbolize God’s power and ultimate nature. Contrast was created through the use of sibilance and listing in the second stanza, which was a recurring theme in the poem. Hopkins emphasized his viewpoint in the last line, “praise him,” as it carried great strength and concluded the entire poem. The phrase “father’s forth” conveys masculinity and strength associated with God. In summary, the strategic choice of words greatly enhanced the overall impact of the poem.
Imagery in ‘Pied Beauty’ underscores the poem’s overall message and enhances the reader’s visualization. The mention of “skies of coupled-color as a brinded cow” in the second line creates a vivid image of open fields, with grazing cows beneath the cloudy sky. The contrasting elements of the sky and the cows create a serene backdrop. By likening the sky to a brinded cow through a simile, the poet strengthens the imagery and amplifies the poem’s theme of praising God for unexpected beauty.
The ‘trout that swim’ are described to have ‘rose moles’ which serve as a metaphor for their scales glowing under the water to be appreciated. Delving deeper into the meaning of ‘rose moles’, it becomes evident that it is unlikely for someone to see a trout’s skin and think that its color resembles roses. Another peaceful image is created through the mention of the finches’ wings and the ‘Fresh-firecoal chest nut falls,’ which symbolizes the falling of chestnuts or a campfire. This line also appeals to the sense of smell, evoking the aroma of burning chestnuts in a campfire. The phrase ‘landscape; that was ‘plotted and pieced’ likely brings to mind the concept of farming, leading to the following line which emphasizes man-made objects. Additionally, the mention of ‘trades’ alludes to human instruments, including those used in farming, which require skill and precision. Consequently, there is a clear progression in the first stanza, starting with references to natural elements and gradually transitioning into synthetic objects.
The second stanza is more abstract than the first stanza, resulting in less imagery compared to the previous stanza. Nonetheless, the words in the second stanza accentuate the descriptions in the first, allowing readers to envision anything that is “swift, slow, sweet, sour; adazzle, dim” and apply it to either the initial stanza or their own encounters. In addition, language techniques employed throughout the poem effectively emphasize its central message. The poem successfully employs grammatical features to enhance its overall significance.
Using verbs throughout the poem generates movement and evokes imagery. For instance, the mention of trout swimming allows for the communication of beauty found both on land and underwater, encompassing all parts of nature. Moreover, the reference to a “landscape plotted and pieced” highlights the organized elements of farming, showcasing the splendor of nature such as fields. Adjectives are also employed throughout to enhance the vibrancy of the poem. The depiction of “rose-moles stipple upon trout that swim” portrays the scales in a unique manner.
Furthermore, the contrast in the second stanza is emphasized through adjectives such as ‘swift, slow, sweet, sour; adazzle, dim’, which have an impact on the five senses, particularly sight and taste. These adjectives and verbs further elaborate Hopkins’ descriptions of the aspects that justify the praise of God. The changing rhythm in the poem reflects the narrator’s intense excitement, evident in the varying line lengths and carefully selected words. Rhyme is absent in this poem, but rhythm plays a significant role in shaping its auditory effects.
The rhythm of the poem began slowly but escalated in the line: ‘Fresh-firecoal chestnut falls’ due to the smoothness of the words. The use of short vowel sounds in a variety of words created a sense of excitement as the rushed words were pronounced. Furthermore, in the final line of the first stanza, the repetition of the word ‘and’ added to the increasing pace of the poem as it described farming with ‘all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.’ In the second stanza, the use of alliteration and sibilance throughout further heightened the rhythm.
The use of alliteration in the line ‘whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?),’ creates an explosion of sound and is followed by a rhetorical question that briefly slows the rhythm. The next line then bombards readers with contrasting objects, increasing the pace. In ‘swift, slow, sweet, sour; adazzle, dim,’ the sibilance creates a never-ending feel as it flows effortlessly. Additionally, the combination of sibilance and short vowel sounds greatly accelerates the pace, building towards the poem’s climax.
The poem effectively used strong consonant sounds to convey seriousness and excitement, without sounding angry but rather proud. Hopkins intentionally did this to instill confidence in the narrator’s voice and tone. Thus, sound played a crucial role in controlling the rhythm and conveying the poem’s message. Overall, the poem successfully built up to a powerful last line through various techniques, leaving a strong impact on the reader.
The inclusion of the words ‘praise him’ after describing the beauty of variety and unchanging beauty had a profound impact on me. While I am not religious, reading this poem made me feel grateful to God for the often overlooked small things in life. Hopkins’ unwavering faith and religious convictions were evident throughout the poem, which added to its persuasive nature. Ultimately, this poem inspired me to contemplate and appreciate the religious aspect of life, while also reminding me of the beauty that can be found in the smallest details, such as the scales of a trout.
