All things counter, original, spare, strange; Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?) With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim; He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change: Praise him.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Hopkins celebrates the paradoxical variety of creation, from the fickle to the firm, urging praise for the unchanging creator.
- In plain terms
- Everything is different and strange, but the creator behind it is constant and deserves praise.
- What can you take from it?
- Embrace diversity in creation while recognizing a constant source.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do opposites coexist?
- What remains unchanged?
Another view
It simplifies the tension between change and stability.
More from Gerard Manley Hopkins
Glory be to God for dappled things- For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow; For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim.
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