Generations have trod, have trod, have trod; And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil; And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Human industry and toil have scarred the earth, making it hard for people to feel the soil directly.
- In plain terms
- People have worn out the earth with work and trade.
- What can you take from it?
- Human work often damages the natural world.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does work affect nature?
- What does the land feel like?
Another view
Some argue progress is necessary despite environmental costs.
More from Gerard Manley Hopkins
The world is charged with the grandeur of God. It will flame out, like shining from shook foil; It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil Crushed.
Permalink to quote #27 There lives the dearest freshness deep down things.
Permalink to quote #29 Abel is Cain's brother and breasts they have sucked the same.
Permalink to quote #26
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