To What Serves Mortal Beauty?
Gerard Manley Hopkins 1844 (Stratford, London) – 1889 (Dublin)
To what serves mortal beauty ' —dangerous; does set danc-
ing blood—the O-seal-that-so ' feature, flung prouder form
Than Purcell tune lets tread to? ' See: it does this: keeps warm
Men’s wits to the things that are; ' what good means—where a glance
Master more may than gaze, ' gaze out of countenance.
Those lovely lads once, wet-fresh ' windfalls of war’s storm,
How then should Gregory, a father, ' have gleanèd else from swarm-
ed Rome? But God to a nation ' dealt that day’s dear chance.
To man, that needs would worship ' block or barren stone,
Our law says: Love what are ' love’s worthiest, were all known;
World’s loveliest—men’s selves. Self ' flashes off frame and face.
What do then? how meet beauty? ' Merely meet it; own,
Home at heart, heaven’s sweet gift; ' then leave, let that alone.
Yea, wish that though, wish all, ' God’s better beauty, grace.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 02, 2023
- 43 sec read
- 255 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABBCDBBCEEFEEF |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 894 |
Words | 158 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 14 |
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"To What Serves Mortal Beauty?" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/15918/to-what-serves-mortal-beauty?>.
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