—Public Domain Photo
CARRION COMFORT
—Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889)
Not, I'll not, carrion comfort, Despair, not feast on thee;
Not untwist—slack they may be—these last strands of man
In me ór, most weary, cry I can no more. I can;
Can something, hope, wish day come, not choose not to be.
But ah, but O thou terrible, why wouldst thou rude on me
Thy wring-world right foot rock? lay a lionlimb against me? scan
With darksome devouring eyes my bruisèd bones? and fan,
O in turns of tempest, me heaped there; me frantic to avoid thee and flee?
Why? That my chaff might fly; my grain lie, sheer and clear.
Nay in all that toil, that coil, since (seems) I kissed the rod,
Hand rather, my heart lo! lapped strength, stole joy, would laugh, chéer.
Cheer whom though? the hero whose heaven-handling flung me, fóot tród
Me? or me that fought him? O which one? is it each one? That night, that year
Of now done darkness I wretch lay wrestling with (my God!) my God.
_____________________
Today’s LittleNip:
It’s not about abandoning everything; it’s about holding on to that which gives you life.
—Anonymous
_____________________
Today (Sunday, Nov. 22, 5pm), William O’Daly will be reading in the Writing For Peace Live Readings series on Zoom, at us02web.zoom.us/j/82898977722, and talking with host Brad Wetzler about William’s work, process, and various commitments. Also go to Copper Canyon Press (coppercanyonpress.org) for info about their new program, Read Generously for Racial Equity (www.coppercanyonpress.org/donate/read-generously) for info about their generous new donation/gift-giving program for the season.
_____________________
—Medusa
Read Hopkins out loud, carefully; listen to his accents (written and unwritten), find his rhythms and rhymes. And see www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/gerard-manley-hopkins for more about him.
—Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889)
Not, I'll not, carrion comfort, Despair, not feast on thee;
Not untwist—slack they may be—these last strands of man
In me ór, most weary, cry I can no more. I can;
Can something, hope, wish day come, not choose not to be.
But ah, but O thou terrible, why wouldst thou rude on me
Thy wring-world right foot rock? lay a lionlimb against me? scan
With darksome devouring eyes my bruisèd bones? and fan,
O in turns of tempest, me heaped there; me frantic to avoid thee and flee?
Why? That my chaff might fly; my grain lie, sheer and clear.
Nay in all that toil, that coil, since (seems) I kissed the rod,
Hand rather, my heart lo! lapped strength, stole joy, would laugh, chéer.
Cheer whom though? the hero whose heaven-handling flung me, fóot tród
Me? or me that fought him? O which one? is it each one? That night, that year
Of now done darkness I wretch lay wrestling with (my God!) my God.
_____________________
Today’s LittleNip:
It’s not about abandoning everything; it’s about holding on to that which gives you life.
—Anonymous
_____________________
Today (Sunday, Nov. 22, 5pm), William O’Daly will be reading in the Writing For Peace Live Readings series on Zoom, at us02web.zoom.us/j/82898977722, and talking with host Brad Wetzler about William’s work, process, and various commitments. Also go to Copper Canyon Press (coppercanyonpress.org) for info about their new program, Read Generously for Racial Equity (www.coppercanyonpress.org/donate/read-generously) for info about their generous new donation/gift-giving program for the season.
_____________________
—Medusa
Read Hopkins out loud, carefully; listen to his accents (written and unwritten), find his rhythms and rhymes. And see www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/gerard-manley-hopkins for more about him.
