Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889) currently ranks as one of the most frequently reprinted poets in English. Not bad for a poet whose mature output consisted of only 49 poems — none of which were published in his lifetime. In her introduction to this overview of his life and work, Margaret R. Ellsberg notes that Hopkins was a convert to Catholicism who took as his motto "Man is created to praise" from St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuit order.
Some of his finest poems are sparked by the ardor of his spiritual practices of gratitude and wonder. But inwardly the poet struggled with depression and physical weakness. Ellsberg makes the most of a mix of his poetry, letters, journal entries, and sermons to illustrate his complex life.
Hopkins was deeply moved by the sacramental principle whereby ordinary objects and experiences are seen as signs of God. One of our favorite poems is "As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame," where he concludes:
" . . . for Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men's faces."
The poet Seamus Heaney said that in everything Hopkins composed you could "graph the intensity." Truer words were never spoken.
