Hopkins: "As Kingfishers Catch Fire"
The latest episode from the Rhyme and Reason podcast.
One of his most important and beloved poems, "As Kingfishers Catch Fire" is a glimpse into Gerard Manley Hopkins' philosophy of life, his way of seeing the world. Central to his approach to poetry, spirituality, and life were concepts he often refers to in his writing—inscape, a thing's "thingness" or an interior landscape, and instress, needle-sharp and deep attention to detail given to understand the essence of a thing.
With these concepts in mind, we can better make sense of "As Kingfishers Catch Fire." That as things do what they were made to do, we can see the traces of God in his creation if we are willing to look closely enough to find them. Instressing everything in life to discover the inscape, the goodness and richness God imprinted on all of creation.
Music from this episode was from EVOE, We Dream of Eden, Ian Post, Marshall Using, and Nobou. Sound design and editing is by Nate Sheppard.
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"Theologians have spilled oceans of ink parsing out exactly what it means that humanity is made in the image of God . . . but Hopkins accomplishes more in this poem than any of them." So true!
THIS. Seeing the essence, inwardness of things and ourselves, is what I've been aiming for all my life.