Selected Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins with Modern English Paraphrases

This text gives a line-by-line paraphrase in modern English diction, syntax and punctuation, of the major poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins. The original poems are on the facing page, making this a useful tool for readers unfamiliar with Hopkins. A second use of the book is for scholars themselves. Granted that the task of initial understanding is accomplished, there remains the task of final interpretation. The paraphrases this volume offers may suggest to scholars readings with which they can compare their own interpretations with a view toward extension, improvement, or replacement.