Analysis of Harry Ploughman

Gerard Manley Hopkins 1844 (Stratford, London) – 1889 (Dublin)



Hard as hurdle arms, with a broth of goldish flue
Breathed round; the rack of ribs; the scooped flank; lank
Rope-over thigh; knee-nave; and barrelled shank -
Head and foot, shoulder and shank -
By a grey eye's heed steered well, one crew, fall to;
Stand at stress. Each limb's barrowy brawn, his thew
That onewhere curded, onewhere sucked or sank -
Soared or sank - ,
Though as a beechbole firm, finds his, as at a roll- call, rank
And features, in flesh, what deed he each must do -
His sinew-service where do.

He leans to it, Harry bends, look. Back, elbow, and liquid waist
In him, all quail to the wallowing o' the plough:'s cheek crimsons; curls
Wag or crossbridle, in a wind lifted, windlaced -
See his wind- lilylocks -laced;
Churlsgrace, too, child of Amansstrength, how it hangs or hurls
Them - broad in bluff hide his frowning feet lashed! raced
With, along them, cragiron under and cold furls -
With-a-fountain's shining-shot furls.


Scheme ABBBAABBBAA CDCCDCDD
Poetic Form
Metre 11101101111 1101110111 110111011 1011001 10111111111 111111111 1111111 111 1101111110111 01001111111 111011 11111011110101 011110100101111 111001101 11111 1111111111 11011110111 1011110011 1011011
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 928
Words 168
Sentences 5
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 11, 8
Lines Amount 19
Letters per line (avg) 38
Words per line (avg) 9
Letters per stanza (avg) 359
Words per stanza (avg) 84
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Submitted on August 03, 2020

Modified on March 05, 2023

51 sec read
33

Gerard Manley Hopkins

Reverend Father Gerard Manley Hopkins, S. more…

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