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Henry Purcell

By Gerard Manley Hopkins

Topics: classic

The poet wishes well to the divine genius of Purcell and praises him that, whereas other musicians have given utterance to the moods of man's mind, he has, beyond that, uttered in notes the very make and species of man as created both in him and in all men generally.     Have fair fallen, O fair, fair have fallen, so dear     To me, so arch-especial a spirit as heaves in Henry Purcell,     An age is now since passed, since parted; with the reversal     Of the outward sentence low lays him, listed to a heresy, here.     Not mood in him nor meaning, proud fire or sacred fear,     Or love or pity or all that sweet notes not his might nursle:     It is the forgd feature finds me; it is the rehearsal     Of own, of abrupt self there so thrusts on, so throngs the ear.     Let him Oh! with his air of angels then lift me, lay me! only I'll     Have an eye to the sakes of him, quaint moonmarks, to his pelted plumage under     Wings: so some great stormfowl, whenever he has walked his while     The thunder-purple seabeach plum purple-of-thunder,     If a wuthering of his palmy snow-pinions scatter a colossal smile     Off him, but meaning motion fans fresh our wits with wonder.

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"The poet wishes well to the divine genius of Purcell and praises him that, whereas other musicians have given utterance to the moods of man's mind, he has, beyond that, uttered in notes the very make and species of man as created both in him and in all men generally...."

"Henry Purcell" is a quintessential example of Gerard Manley Hopkins's signature style... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Gerard Manley Hopkins

"The poet wishes well to the divine genius of Purce..." by Gerard Manley Hopkins

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Gerard Manley Hopkins

About Gerard Manley Hopkins

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889) was an English Jesuit poet who invented "sprung rhythm," a new metrical system. His poems—including "The Windhover," "Pied Beauty," and "God's Grandeur"—were published posthumously and are now celebrated for their ecstatic language and innovative prosody.

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