a.

Not of all my eyes see, wandering on the world, 
Is anything a milk to the mind so, so sighs deep 
Poetry to it, as a tree whose boughs break in the sky. 
Say it is ashboughs: whether on a December day and furled 
Fast ór they in clammyish lashtender combs creep
Apart wide and new-nestle at heaven most high. 
They touch heaven, tabour on it; how their talons sweep 
The smouldering enormous winter welkin! May 
Mells blue and snowwhite through them, a fringe and fray 
Of greenery: it is old earth’s groping towards the steep
Heaven whom she childs us by. 


(Variant from line 7.) b.

They touch, they tabour on it, hover on it[; here, there hurled], 
With talons sweep 
The smouldering enormous winter welkin. [Eye, 
But more cheer is when] May
Mells blue with snowwhite through their fringe and fray 
Of greenery and old earth gropes for, grasps at steep 
Heaven with it whom she childs things by. 

Added: Apr 8 2005 | Viewed: 758 times | Comments (0)

Poet: Gerard Manley Hopkins
Poem: Ash-Boughs

There are no comments for this poem. Why not be the first one to post something about it?

Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Ash-Boughs, has not yet been commented on. You can click here to be the first to post a comment about it. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins with others on the Poetry Connection poetry forum!