Gerard Manley Hopkins' known works consist of 49 poems, none of which were published in his short life of 44 years. In 1918, 30 years after Hopkins' death, his friend and then poet laureate of England Robert Bridges published a collection of Hopkins' works, but not until Bridges re-released it in 1930 did Hopkins' poetry finally gain notoriety.
In "The Lantern Out of Doors," Hopkins meditates on friendship—on our interest in one another, our worries, our hopes and fears, and how much faith it takes sometimes to carry the weight of saying goodbye. Though all relationships are lost to "death or distance," Hopkins reminds us that "Christ minds" those who move on from our lives, “their ransom, their rescue, and first, fast, last friend.”
Music from this episode was from EVOE, Yehezkel Raz, Jia Lee, and Michael FK. Sound design and editing is by Nate Sheppard.
For more poetry from the Rabbit Room, subscribe to our newsletter at Rabbitroompoetry.substack.com.
Share this post