Hopkins: "The Windhover" (Andrew Peterson)

Season one of Rhyme & Reason is finished, but we wanted to share a few bonus episodes featuring some of Gerard Manley Hopkins’s most popular poems that weren’t covered in the main season. We’ve invited Andrew Peterson, songwriter, author, and founder of the Rabbit Room to read them. This is a reading of “The Windhover.”

Music from this episode was from EVOE and Dear Gravity. Sound design and editing is by Nate Sheppard.

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Episode Transcript

S1 (00:00):
I'm Andy Patton and this is a bonus episode of
Rhyme and Reason from the Rabbit Room. Season one of
Rhyme and Reason is finished, but we thought we would
share a few extra episodes to tide you over while
we're working on season two. All season long, we've been
looking at the life and work of Gerard Manley Hopkins,

(00:22):
and true fans of Hopkins will have noticed that we
had to leave out a few of Hopkins most popular poems.
So we have invited Andrew Peterson, songwriter, author and founder
of The Rabbit Room, to circle back and share a
few Hopkins poems that didn't make it into the main season.
So here you go. This is Andrew Peterson reading Hopkins

(00:43):
own favorite poem, The Windover.

S2 (00:48):
I caught this morning morning's minion kingdom of daylight's dauphin.
Dapple dawn drawn falcon in his riding of the rolling
level underneath him steady air and striding high there how
he rung upon the rein of a whimpering wing in
his ecstasy. Then off, off, forth on swing. As a

(01:12):
skate's heel sweeps smooth on a bow bend the hurl.
And gliding rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
stirred for a bird. The achieve of the mastery of
the thing. Brute beauty and valour and act. Oh, air pride. Plume! Here, buckle.

(01:36):
And the fire that breaks from thee. Then a billion
times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier. No wonder
of it. Sheer plod makes plough down sillion shine. And
blue bleak embers. Ah, my dear fall gall themselves and

(01:57):
gash gold, vermilion.