The character Norma recites this poem in Steinbeck's 1947 Novel, "The Wayward Bus". The poem ends with the speaker giving the stars greater meaning by stating that they are the souls of the dead. Hundreds of famous, classical poems to browse, study, or send to a friend. Imagery and symbolism in The Starlight Night Welsh influences. The grey lawns cold where gold, where quickgold lies! O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air! The stars’ link to Christianity makes them more beautiful. Hopkins separated the text of the sonnet into two stanzas. All Rights Reserved, Conferences, Events, Performances, and Calls for Papers. the elves’-eyes! Join the Neopoet online poetry workshop and community to improve as a writer, meet fellow poets, and showcase your work. Elements of the verse: questions and answers. The night may be fragile to someone in love. First star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, Have this wish I wish tonight. The bright boroughs, the circle-citadels there! airy abeles set on a flare! Buy then! The poem begins with the speaker imploring his listener to look up at the sky and observe the stars closely. The following lines are the most complex of the poem. look, look up at the skies! the elves'-eyes! look, look up at the skies! He goes on to describe how the empty space above one’s head is like a “dim wood.” The diamonds of stars are always up above, breaking up the monotony of the “grey lawns.” They are magic, like “elves’-eyes!”. I recorded this music between late 2018 and early 2020 using synthesisers, guitar and tape; based on the poem 'The Starlight Night' by Gerard Manley Hopkins. It has been suggested Hopkins was influenced by Welsh poetry: when he came to Wales, he started learning Welsh; he later studied Welsh poetry, which is very patterned. The bright boroughs, the circle-citadels there! What's your thoughts? Thank you! ... Gerard Manley Hopkins Poem Analysis - Duration: 6:24. Autoplay next video. Look at the stars! ⁠ O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air! Print this poem, © 2018 Please log in again. If anybody asks Why I add poems to a time like this, Tell how the comeliness I can't take in Of ships and other figures of content Compels me still until I give them names; And how I give them names impatiently, As who should pull up roses by the roots That keep him turning on his empty bed, The smell intolerable and thick with loss. The Starlight Night Look at the stars! People do not seem to have the energy to observe the beautiful world around them. Wind-beat whitebeam! The stars are physically out of reach to all those on earth, but that doesn’t mean that one should ignore their presence. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site. In it, as in some of his other poems such as The Windhover, Hopkins mixes Nature with aspects of his adopted religion, Roman Catholicism. — Prayer, patience, alms, vows. John Keats, ‘Bright Star’. Flake-doves sent floating forth at a farmyard scare! The second set of lines is more complex. This piece-bright paling shuts the spouse. "Star Light, Star Bright" is found in Madonna 's 1984 single Lucky Star, as well as in Star by Earth, Wind & Fire and This Flight Tonight by Joni Mitchell. Watch the wonder of the galaxy~ swirl and tilt. Look at the stars! He uses a few more metaphors to depict the stars as bundles of flowers, such as those on willow trees. Literature is one of her greatest passions which she pursues through analysing poetry on Poem Analysis. Ah well! The nature Hopkins is depicting is directly related to God. O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air! "The Starlight Night" By Gerard Manley Hopkins (Imagery Workshop) Submitted by weirdelf on Sun, 2017-07-02 14:52. O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air! Ah well! Maggie Fielder 18,752 views. The bright boroughs, the circle-citadels there! One should be encouraged to read on, especially since the speaker’s voice is so demanding. look, look up at the skies! Every single person that visits PoemAnalysis.com has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. He thinks God’s creation is neglected, on top of everyone neglecting an opportunity to see something truly beautiful. He had been a student at St Bueno's Theological College for three years, and this was a productive period: the year of "God's Grandeur", "Spring" and "The Starlight Night", among others. This is an analysis of the poem The Starlight Night that begins with: Look at the stars! March-bloom, like on mealed-with-yellow sallows! Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art— Not in lone splendour … The Starlight Night. Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia. look, look up at the skies! The information we provided is prepared by means of a special computer program. In this updated second edition renowned amateur comet-searcher David H. Levy expands on his work about the intricate relationship between the night sky and the works of English Literature. The following six lines often diverge into a variety of patterns, usually containing three different end rhymes. But I remember the light around me-the sense of being lit by starlight- and that I could see the ground to which the stars seemed to be floating down. ‘The Starlight Night’ by Gerard Manley Hopkins describes the importance of looking at the stars and appreciating God’s creation in one’s everyday life. He goes on to use Christian imagery in his reference to a barn filled with bundles. March-bloom, like on mealed-with-yellow sallows! Wind-beat whitebeam! The grey lawns cold where gold, where quickgold lies! Source: The Dorling Kindersley Book of Nursery Rhymes (2000) Learn how to write a poem about Starlight and share it! There are in existence many slightly different versions of the poem. Poems about Starlight at the world's largest poetry site. Listen to those far off stars sing music of It is through advertising that we are able to contribute to charity. Down in dim woods the diamond delves! Seeping into the night In Venus' starlight Hush, the moon opens its ear The stars are shy, yet they shine They'd rather you don't come near In Venus' starlight We're breathing all just the same The stars align their scars And call you by your last name Bigots, believers, bovinity Strike asunder your centrality Denouncers, dreamers, gazerby It becomes clear as the poem progresses that the speaker sees the stars as intimately connected to God and his creation. look, look up at the skies! Subscribe to our mailing list and get new poetry analysis updates straight to your inbox. We lay hand in hand, head to head, eye to eye The stars staring down, as if they were in envy The moon radiating light upon us, as if it we were a showcase The passion which was united, a passion of true love full text. The bright boroughs, the circle-citadels there! Look at the stars! the elves'-eyes! Send some poems to a friend - the love thought that counts! Look at the stars! It is the same in ‘The Starlight Night.’ In this case, the pattern is the unusual, CCDEED. This extremely famous poem has been read at countless funerals and public occasions. Look, look: a May-mess, like on orchard boughs! After logging in you can close it and return to this page. The Starlight Night Study Guide Nevertheless, it’s a vivid example of his idiosyncratic writing style, and its theme – a starry night – is a perennial one for poets. Starlight Night Poem by Michael James Kennedy Findlay. The original poem was written in 1932 by Mary Elizabeth Frye (1905-2004) from Baltimore, MD. The login page will open in a new tab. The Starlight Night. The Starlight Night Look at the stars! The bright boroughs, the circle-citadels there! Flake-doves sent floating forth at a farmyard scare!—. International Hopkins Association The Starlight Night: The Sky in the Writings of Shakespeare, Tennyson, and Hopkins David H. Levy (auth.) The first comparison is “fire-folk sitting in the air.” The stars seem to have an agency all their own. Subscribe to our mailing list to get the latest and greatest poetry updates. Emma graduated from East Carolina University with a BA in English, minor in Creative Writing, BFA in Fine Art, and BA in Art Histories. Synopsis of The Starlight Night Inspiration. He clearly wants the reader to take the time to “look up at the skies.” There is so much to be seen there that goes beyond the obvious. look, look up at the skies! The grey lawns cold where gold, where quickgold lies! Such a poem is The Starlight Night. Down in dim woods the diamond delves! This re-characterization of them as something more than pinpoints of distant light is engaging. The poem begins with the speaker imploring his listener to look up at the sky and observe the stars closely. The second is a sestet, containing six lines. He doesn’t have scientific knowledge of space. Editor's Note — 8 The Starlight Night. Christ home, Christ and his mother and all his hallows. Down in dim woods the diamond delves! He also states that the stars are “bright boroughs” and “circle-citadels.” They, to the speaker, hold the endless possibility of life. O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air! bid then!—What?—Prayer, patience, alms, vows. ‘The Starlight Night’ by Gerard Manley Hopkins was written in 1877 and is one of his most popular sonnets. In the final stanza of ‘The Starlight Night,’ which contains six lines, the speaker makes clear that he sees humanity as having no time for the things that are really worthwhile. Look, look: a May-mess, like on orchard boughs! He doesn’t have scientific knowledge of space. Buy then! The Poems and Quotes on this site are the property of their respective authors. Sign up, submit your poetry, and get started. – Sign up, submit your poetry, and get started. Please support this website by adding us to your whitelist in your ad blocker. The poem begins with the speaker imploring his listener to look up at the sky and observe the stars closely. He doesn’t have scientific knowledge of … He often uses the former (Nature) as an introduction to the latter (religion). As is common within Petrarchan or Italian sonnets, the first eight lines follow a rhyme scheme of ABBAABBA. Poems ... Verse > Gerard Manley Hopkins > Poems Look at the stars! Spring→ sister projects: Wikidata item. Starlight - Going abruptly into a starry night. ... Starry, starry night~ see those dazzling diamonds on the vibrant black silk. In the first stanza of ‘The Starlight Night’ the speaker begins by making an exclamation. All information has been Standing bare chest to cool night, wearing flip-flops and shorts, I let a storm of stars swirl around me. O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air! The Starlight Night by Gerard Manley Hopkins. The bright boroughs, the circle-citadels there! The final lines of the section bring the reader to Hopkins’ main goal with this piece. Look at the stars! He continues on with a number of other metaphors, comparing the stars to “circle-citadels” and “diamond delves.” No matter what he thinks of, it is magical and fantastical in nature. If she happens to be a lover of words, then goodnight poems will go a long way of putting stability to her heart and helping her have a good rest in the night … In the next lines of ‘The Starlight Night’ he uses the phrase, “where quickgold lies!” This is a reference to mines that contain unknown numbers of precious stones as well as to the element quick-sliver, now better known as mercury. Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins by Gerard Manley Hopkins, edited by Robert Bridges The Starlight Night. 1918. The Starlight Night is one of a number of sonnets written in 1877, when Hopkins was studying at St.Beuno's College, after he had felt it right to begin writing poetry again. The octave is densely packed with images. "The Starlight Night" by Gerard Manley Hopkins, read by the Wordman - Duration: 1:30. Hopkins personifies the stars in the second line, referring to them as “fire-folk sitting in the air.” They move, they twinkle, they seem to have a proud presence. This piece-bright paling shuts the spouse. bid then! Norman H. MacKenzie (New York and London: Garland Publishing, 1991): 103.PR 4803 H44A6 1991 Robarts Library The Regenerative Power of Nature Wind-beat whitebeam! Go, little book. Hopkins, Gerard Manley. O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air! Ranked poetry on Starlight, by famous & modern poets. Ads are what helps us bring you premium content! We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously. The bright boroughs, the circle-citadels there! The author composed this poem in a moment of inspiration and scribbled it on a paper bag. the elves’-eyes! Down in dim woods the diamond delves! His speaker states that the sky, and all its shining stars are “all a purchase” and “all…a prize.” This is because one is only rewarded with the sight of the stars if they take the time to look. The Starlight Night by Gerard Manley Hopkins Within this poem, Hopkins promotes the importance of looking at the stars and appreciating God’s creation in one’s everyday life. These are indeed the barn; withindoors house, The shocks. Look at the stars! It is through these striking comparisons that Hopkins hopes to encourage a reader outside and into a proper state of mind. For passive or intent listening. look, look up at the skies! The Later Poetic Manuscripts of Gerard Manley Hopkins in Facsimile, ed. The most important image of this piece is that of the stars. They come in a variety of forms in the text, but always represent something beautiful and otherworldly. O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air! These are indeed the barn; withindoors house, The shocks. Mercury the planet holds its own spot in the sky, increasing the connection. look, look up at the skies! Instead, he uses metaphors to express his appreciation for the beauty of the stars. Join the Neopoet online poetry workshop and community to improve as a writer, meet fellow poets, and showcase your work. Christ home, Christ and his mother and all his hallows. It is a romantic moment where the heart thinks about people who care. The first is an octave, meaning that it contains eight lines. In this case, the bundles are stars, which have come to represent the dead. They are the souls of those who have passed on and all are contained within Christ’s barn. look, look up at the skies! The Starlight Night by Gerard Manley Hopkins, Habit of Perfection by Gerard Manley Hopkins, Hurrahing in Harvest by Gerard Manley Hopkins, My own heart let me more have pity on by Gerard Manley Hopkins. look, look up at the skies! it is all a purchase, all is a prize. airy abeles set on a flare! Here, the speaker expresses his disappointment that God’s creation is taken for granted. The Starlight Night by Gerard Manley Hopkins poem text and resources. The Starlight Night (by Gerard Manley Hopkins for workshop) Submitted by weirdelf on Mon, 2011-11-14 13:14. Look! Join the conversation by. ‘The Starlight Night’ is not a Gerard Manley Hopkins poem whose title is on everyone’s lips. Look at the stars! it is all a purchase, all is a prize. It is meant to draw a reader’s attention to “the stars!” And to the beginning of the poem itself. Look! look, look up at the skies! For instance, in “The Starlight Night,” the speaker urges readers to notice the marvels of the night sky and compares the sky to a structure, which houses Christ, his mother, and the saints. Look at the stars! — What? look, look up at the skies! Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. There is so much to them that one should imagine a thriving, bright city at the origin of each one. This is emphasized through the comparisons to “elves’-eyes” and shining cities in the sky. O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air! He continues on, throwing a few more comparisons at the reader. airy abeles set on a flare! I remember no light pollution, heck, I remember no lights. Study Guide to The Starlight Night This poem is the second of the eleven widely-admired sonnets Hopkins wrote during 1877, an extremely fertile year for him.