Moonless darkness stands between.
Past, the Past, no more be seen!
But the Bethlehem-star may lead me
To the sight of Him Who freed me
From the self that I have been.
Make me pure, Lord: Thou art holy;
Make me meek, Lord: Thou wert lowly;
Now beginning, and alway:
Now begin, on Christmas day.
The poet's heart shines through this prayerful verse and G.M. Hopkins was in his short life a master of the arresting phrase..... being a priest he saw the world in terms of creative conflict at times with his God. This piece is a good example of his strength as a writer.
well, I believe it is a beautiful prayer, rather than a song...Although it's short it tells so much...
I like this! Does anyone know anything about it? It feels to me more like a song, except its too short.
Very tight poem, expressing an intense devotion humbly yet eloquently (and it's not easy to use thou art and thou wert and still sound natural) . Hopkins is a master, and this poem is delightful to contemplate.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Catholic theology expressed with a poet’s special gifts, but material interest only to Catholics.