Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844 - 1889) was a Jesuit priest whose work was only published after his dearh. Profound in his reading of the natural world, and driven by a style that influenced the likes of Dylan Thomas and Ezra Pound, he created a unique linguistic landscape.
His poems range from rhapsodic observation of nature to profound self-examination, using innovative metres, and rhythms as well as striking invention.
The result is rich, complex and powerfully beautiful, some of the most thrilling and compelling poetry in English.
This selection includes his best-loved works such as Spring, The Windhover, Binsey Poplars, No worst, there is none, Felix Randal, Heaven-Haven, As Kingfishers Catch Fire, and Pied Beauty.
These poems are beautiful and worthy of study; they're complex, but on translating the meanings it all clicks into place. How GMH managed to produce such work remains a mystery, but certainly entitles him to be one of the major British poets. ( )