Hopkins’ admiration for nature is once again enforced by his noting of small details in nature. Whilst throughout the poem he makes reference to things usually ignored, it is in the line “For skies of couple-colour...” By not only giving mention to the colour of the sky but also adding extra emphasis to it through the alliteration of “couple colour” the reader is shown clearly that Hopkins has great respect for this part of nature, regardless of its minute significance in the eyes of others.
Again giving light to something not usually noticed, Hopkins brings attention to the colouring of trout, of all things. He manages to see strange attraction and beauty in the rose coloured spots and shares this opinion through a metaphorical comparison between a trout and a masterful work of art. The comparison is found in the line of “Pied Beauty” in which Hopkins is thanking God “for rose moles all in stipple upon trout that swim” with stipple being a painting technique used often by artists and rose moles being the odd pattern of colour on the fish’s skin. It would be no overstatement to say the idea of trout being beautiful is a farfetched thought, but still Hopkins ensures the reader has the thought engraved in their memory.
Although noticing small things and trying to get the reader to do the same is a repeated theme throughout, Hopkins also brings attention to creation; creation of nature, more than anything else, by God. In an effort to emphasise this, Hopkins takes it upon himself to create small things in the poem itself. Words such as “fresh-firecoal” and “fathers-forth” are given life in this poem where before they were not even in existence. By doing this, Hopkins has shown that when speaking of nature and all that it is, typical words are not enough. New, unique words must be invented when speaking of God’s creations in nature.
In itself, this poem is unique. While it is written in the style of a sonnet and shares the same rhythm as any other ordinary one, it is lacking the length sonnets typically have. Even without this extra length, however, the main theme of admiration shines through the verse and leaves readers with a new outlook on the appreciation of beauty in nature. In this way, Hopkins is yet again sharing his perspective with his audience. It is one of the poet’s more subtle ways of reinforcing his theme since readers are appreciative of the poem, regardless of its unusual style.
To conclude, the entire poem is an excellent representation of Hopkins love for nature and all things in it and, through the various techniques he has used and small creations of his own, his desire for others to feel the same way is slightly achieved. His words give new insight into not only appreciating but also understanding how to appreciate nature and in this way it can be said without doubt that the poet is extremely effective in showing his admiration for nature.
Ataria Gibbons
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