心(Soul)之旅 (Modified Version by May 16, 2008) (图)

Vitas-Songbird from the gods

当感悟到我是上帝的一部分时,我就再也不用恐惧和害怕那由于无法抗拒的衰老,病残,和死亡. 因为这些都是自然规律. 如果成为了造物主的一部分就能够再创造,并能使之成为永恒,如同钻石般地发出不朽的光芒。

人生的快乐之旅便是内心的快乐之旅。

微笑是至高境界,
热爱是无上法宝.

-------感悟来自Gerard Manley Hopkins "That Nature Is a Heraclitean Fire and of the Comfort of the Resurrection"



Analyze the Poem: 

     “That Nature Is a Heraclitean Fire and of 
            the Comfort of the  Resurrection” 
            -----got a pleasure trip with it-----
                                 by 空中梦想家

Gerard Manley Hopkins’s belief and philosophy were influenced by two essential ways. First was Heraclitus. Heraclitus was a Greek ancient philosopher, before-Christ, taught the basic principle of fire. Second was Scotus. Scotus was a medieval philosopher and studied Lord, the theology, after-Christ. Additionally, Hopkins self was a Roman Catholic Priest.

Heraclitus taught that all things are always moving in cycles and then return to the basic principle of fire. In the poem of “That Nature Is a Heraclitean Fire and of the Comfort of the Resurrection”, the item “Heraclitean Fire” is employed very well by Hopkins. The state of flux is returning the process is fire. In the first eight lines of the poem, Hopkins talks about the all things are nature include humanity. All birth and death are the state of flux is returning, and the process is fire.

Scotus proved that all things can think individually, but the all things have to contain an inherent energy from God. Being influenced by Scotus’ theory, Hopkins greatly created his poetic theory: inscape and instress. Inscape is the “individually distinctive”, a nature of a thing. The “clearest-selved” (line 6) is the “most individual” that contemplated wholly illuminates. In essence, we are parts of God, and God is us. We are one with nature that is by subject with object. Instress is God’s inner force and energy that possesses on humanity. Humanity is subject, and the trees, cloud, sun, storm or “manmarks” are objects.

Therefore, the theme is about life never being end because of God. Hopkins develops the theme of human existence, which is in a constant state of flux, and humanity has being described by Heraclitean fire of the universe, a process. Hopkins turns to Christ’s Resurrection for inspiration and comfort and defining. A human life is as a part of complex design. To understand the design and the interactions of the creator and creatures is very important.

Tone in this poem is about kind of humor, passionate, high-spirited, believing, pleasurable, and enjoyable. There are many positive words in this poem to be used in the poem: “delightfully”, “bright wind”, and “heart’s clarion”, and “the Resurrection”. Hopkins uses the optimistic tone to represent the stress and action of the brain in moments of inspiration. For example, the word “Enough!” is in the middle of line-14 and line 15. Before “Enough!” is the 14th line, and the first part of 15th line is start with “Enough!”

“But vastness blurs and time / beasts level. Enough! The Resurrection,” A heart’s-clarion! Away grief’s gasping, / joyless days, dejection.” ( this following the line is the rest of 15th line)

The speaker of the poem is poet self, the “individual distinctive”, the part of God. Humanity will enjoy becoming “flesh fade” and “mortal trash” without fear because of God, all things will be a part of God and will turn into “immortal diamond” to be prolonged and forever sparking. But who is the audience? The audience is a man, the humanity and all of nature because we are all one—Universe!

Hopkins’s diction is very brilliant and affluent with generates itself. Hopkins uses compounding and repetition words to develop the interlocking of the characteristics of an object, such as “cloud-puffball”, “heaven-roysterers”, gay-gangs”, and “heart’s-clarion”. Many figure of speeches are used in the poem, in particular, metaphor.


Figure of Speech—Metaphor:
There are many figures of speech in this poem. Especially the metaphor is used in many places. For instance,
1.  “Cloud-puffball”, “flaunt forth”, and “chevy on an air” are metaphors meaning of
      the shape or form of clouds on the air.      
2.  “Down roughcast, down dazzling whitewash” is metaphor for earth.
3.   The “roughcast” and “dazzling whitewash” imply the objects on the earth.
4.   The “ooze”, “dough, crust, dust”, and “stanches, starches” are metaphors for all
      things on the ground are natural. 
5.   The “yestertempest” is metaphor for a big rain storm from yesterday.
6.   The “manmarks” and “Footfretted” are metaphors for objects by man made, which
      are still part of natural things. 
7.  “Bright wind boisterous” implies for the big wind has a good time other objects.
8.  “Bonfire burns on” implies the movement of sun or sunshine, the deletion of nature
       moves on.
9.  “Man, how fast his firedint / his mark on mind, is gone” implies humanity’s physical
       gone with fire, and his soul also gone with fire---all gone!
10. “Both are in an unfathomable, all is in an enormous dark” alludes that the sun goes
       to under, and a man goes to under also. Everything is nature that always moves in
       cycles. 
11. “Man” and “Manshape” are metaphors for God and man are one and the same,
       and God is man, and man is God. 
12. “The Jack” implies everyone, the individual object.
13. “Immortal diamond” is a metaphor for life everlasting. It indirectly represented a
       man needs to hew himself perfect from roughness to smoothness, because of the
       Christ, all nature is returning to the basic principle of fire---Life was Resurrection! 

           
Form:
The poetic form of this poem is Caudate Sonnet. Caudate sonnet is an Italian form. Using a simple math formula, it will look like: Caudate Sonnet = Italian sonnet + Caudate (14 lines as octave) (6 lines as sestet with 3 codas).

The first fourteen lines are in iambic pentameter with the rhyme scheme of an Italian sonnet: abbba abba cde dec, which consists of an octave (8 lines is abba abba) and a sestet (6 lines is cde dec or cd cd cd, or cde dce). There are six additional lines, continuing the rhyme scheme is cfffgg; the fifteen and eighteen lines are trimeter, and the rest are pentameter. Hopkins’s “That Nature Is a Heraclitean Fire and of the Comfort of the Resurrection” perhaps meet the criteria as well. But, the rhythm in this Hopkins’s poem is completely different from the rhythm of the Italian sonnet.

In this poem, the first fourteen lines that consist of eight lines as an octave and six lines as sestet also. But, Hopkins adds to the effect of the extension with an enjambment from the 14th line to the 15th. Hopkins heightens a word “Enough!” in the middle of line to emphasize his narration of all things moving of cycles has been enough. Until this part of the poem, Hopkins’s narration moves towards to a conclusion. Man is a part of design and through his “Resurrection” to gain comfort and inspiration.

And then, Hopkins explicates that why “Resurrection” can bring “immortality to humanity in the three codas. That is because of the Christ and his “Resurrection” from “mortal trash” to “immortal diamond”. After understanding the design, a man suddenly gets an “Ahha” moment --- Oh, I am a part of God, so I am a permanent diamond, as the third coda: “I am all at once what Christ is, / since he was what I am, and This Jack, joke, poor potsherd, / patch, matchwood, immortal diamond, Is immortal diamond.” The act of God and the verve of his inspiration, passion, and vigor, all have been revealed by Hopkins.


Structure and Sprung rhythm:
Sprung rhythm is a unique metric system that is created by Hopkins, which is different regular rhythm in the sonnet form. It doesn’t contain any iambic pentameter with rhyme scheme in this poem. Sprung rhythm is just for the stressed syllables in a line without considering the number of unstressed syllables. In the poem of “That Nature Is a Heraclitean Fire and of the Comfort of the Resurrection”, sprung rhythm is adequately used by Hopkins.
The structure mirrors to competing the poem in the title. The left part of the title is a question for who I am. The right part of the title is an answer for who I am. Each natural line is divided into right-and-left two parts by “ l ”. Each part consists of three of stressed syllables in a line without regards to the other unstressed syllables. For example:
      /                       /        /                                    /                  /                   / 
“Cloud-puffball, torn tufts, tossed pillows / flaunt forth, then chevy on an air-”    
However, the rhythm scheme is the same as the Italian sonnet form, which is abba abba cd cd cd for the first 14 lines, and then the rest of six lines that is cfffgg.

Moreover, there are many sounds of alliteration, assonance, and consonance in the poem. For example,
1.   “t-, f-” sounds: “torn tufts, tossed pillows / flaunt forth” (alliteration)
2.   “sh-”sounds: “Shivelights and shadowtackle in long” (alliteration) “Flesh fade, and
        mortal trash” and “In a flash, at a trumpet crash,” (consonance)   
3.   “la-”sounds: “lashes lace, lance, and pair.” (alliteration)
4.   “m-” sounds: “Man, how fast his firedint / his mark on mind,” (alliteration) “patch, 
        matchwood, immortal diamond,” “Is immortal diamond. (assonance)     
5.   “th- and o-” sounds: “built thoroughfare: heaven-roysterers, in gay-gangs /
        they glitter in marches.” (alliteration) (assonance)           
6.   “s-” sounds: “Shivelights and shadowtackle in long” (alliteration)
7.   “la-” sounds: “lashes lace, lance, and pair.” (alliteration)
8.   “-ust, st-, and -ches” sounds: “dough, crust, dust; stanches, starches (Alliteration
       and consonance) 
       

Symbolism:
The last coda highly symbolizes all that means. This reveals all of nature including a man that goes through a “Resurrection” because of the glory God. Light and shadow, earth, air, fire, and water are all in play here. The poem opens with the turbulence of nature, which starts from cloud and earth, trees, and mud. Later the poem turns to sun to burn up and becomes ash, and finally it returns to new life and starts again.


My feeling for this poem:
After closer reading this poem, I had a strong feeling for this poem and the poet. I really enjoyed this poem and got a pleasure trip with it. The structure of the poem, construction of words, and the poet’s inspiration of his soul are that are all my favorites. I was moved, and my heart and soul both bobble up because of the passion I felt. I can imagine how the poet so enjoyed his thought and words when he produced the poem -- just like a gifted musical composer who enthusiastically composes his or her master work!

Copyright by 空中梦想家