Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins · Gerard Manley Hopkins

The Starlight Night

9 of 73 · 1 min of reading

LOOK at the stars! look, look up at the skies!

O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air!

The bright boroughs, the circle-citadels there!

Down in dim woods the diamond delves! the elves'-eyes!

The grey lawns cold where gold, where quickgold lies!

Wind-beat whitebeam! airy abeles set on a flare!

Flake-doves sent floating forth at a farmyard scare!--

Ah well! it is all a purchase, all is a prize.

Buy then! bid then!--What?--Prayer, patience, alms,

vows.

Look, look: a May-mess, like on orchard boughs!

Look! March-bloom, like on mealed-with-yellow

sallows!

These are indeed the barn; withindoors house

The shocks. This piece-bright paling shuts the spouse

Christ home, Christ and his mother and all his hallows.

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End of part 9 of 73

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