English Wordplay ~ Listen and Enjoy
GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS
His Life through his Poetry
Please note that this section is not on the CD
TRACK 15A: Politics
Hopkins' political views may seem surprising. In 1871 in a letter to the poet, Robert Bridges, he had written:
"Horrible to say, in a manner, I am a Communist. England has grown hugely wealthy but this wealth has not reached the working classes. It is a dreadful thing for the greatest part of a very rich nation to live a hard life without dignity, knowledge, comfort, delights or hopes in the midst of plenty."
This feeling was to abide, for in 1888 he wrote from Dublin explaining his complex poem, Tom's Garland:
The scene of the poem is laid at evening, when the navvies one by one pile their picks, with which they earn their living and swing off home, knocking sparks out of mother earth, and so to supper and bed. Tom's thoughts mimic his labours. He surveys his lot; low, but free from care. The witnessing of such light-heartedness makes me indignant with the fools of Radical Levellers. I think of the navvies who tunnel and blast and disfigure or 'mammock' mother earth. But then I remember they are garlanded with nails, outcasts from the Commonweal and have neither security nor splendour. And this state of things is the origin of Loafers, Tramps and other pests of society.
TOM - garlanded with squat and surly steel
Tom; then Tom's fallowbootfellow piles pick
By him and rips out rockfire homeforth--sturdy Dick;
Tom Heart-at-ease, Tom Navvy: he is all for his meal
Sure, 's bed now. Low be it: lustily he his low lot (feel
That ne'er need hunger, Tom; Tom seldom sick,
Seldomer heartsore; that treads through, prickproof,
thick
Thousands of thorns, thoughts) swings though. Common-
weal
Little I reck ho! lacklevel in, if all had bread:
What! Country is honour enough in all us--lordly head,
With heaven's lights high hung round, or, mother-ground
That mammocks, mighty foot. But no way sped,
Nor mind nor mainstrength; gold go garlanded
With, perilous, O nó; nor yet plod safe shod sound;
Undenizened, beyond bound
Of earth's glory, earth's ease, all; no one, nowhere,
In wide the world's weal; rare gold, bold steel, bare
In both; care, but share care--
This, by Despair, bred Hangdog dull; by Rage,
Manwolf, worse; and their packs infest the age.