The Starlight Night

By Gerard Manley Hopkins

Look at the stars! look, look up at the skies!

  O look at all the fire-folk sitting in the air!

  The bright boroughs, the circle-citadels there!

Down in dim woods the diamond delves! the elves'-eyes!

The grey lawns cold where gold, where quickgold lies!

  Wind-beat whitebeam! airy abeles set on a flare!

  Flake-doves sent floating forth at a farmyard scare! —

Ah well! it is all a purchase, all is a prize.

Buy then! bid then! — What? — Prayer, patience, alms, vows.

  Look, look: a May-mess, like on orchard boughs!

Look! March-bloom, like on mealed-with-yellow sallows!

  These are indeed the barn; withindoors house

  The shocks. This piece-bright paling shuts the spouse

Christ home, Christ and his mother and all his hallows.