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

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBCDBBCEEFEEF
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 894
Words 158
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

Gerard Manley Hopkins

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