Poems for study » Henry Purcell » Language and tone in Henry Purcell
Uncommon expression
Some of the poem’s difficulties lie in the way words are used and in the way they are ordered. The opening phrase has drawn especial attack from critics:
- By ‘have fair fallen’ Hopkins means, ‘I wish you to have died well and in grace’ or ‘in God’s favour’
- Yet we never use the particular verbal construction Hopkins uses (a sort of present perfect imperative). We may say, ‘Have a good time’, but we never say, ‘Have had a good time (yesterday)’.
- It’s probably easiest just to think ‘be’ for ‘have’.
Despite criticism, Hopkins refused to change the line.
Unusual denotation
- In l.2 ‘arch’ refers neither to ‘a sort of construction’, nor ‘a becoming mannerism’. Hopkins means it as in ‘archangel’, from the Greek word meaning ‘leading’ or ‘first’. Normally the word is attached to another noun: arch-something. We have to wait till l.9 till ‘angels’ comes up.
- ‘nursle’ is archaic for ‘nourish, foster’, but he needs the –sle for the rhyme.
It is part of the poet’s skill to know and love such a variety of words, including dialect forms like ‘wuthering’, as not to be stuck for a rhyme.
Unusually for Hopkins, there are very few compound epithets, ‘purple-of-thunder’ and ‘moonmarks’ being two of the few.
- Define ‘rehearsal’ (l.7); ‘sentence’ (l.4); ‘listed’ (l.4).
- How can ‘fear’ be ‘sacred’ (l.5)?
The poet wishes well to the divine genius of Purcell
and praises him that, whereas other musicians have given
utterance to the moods of man's mind, he has, beyond
that, uttered in notes the very make and species of man as
created both in him and in all men generally.
Have fair fallen, O fair, fair have fallen, so dear
To me, so arch-especial a spirit as heaves in Henry Purcell,
An age is now since passed, since parted; with the reversal
Of the outward sentence low lays him, listed to a heresy,
here.
Not mood in him nor meaning, proud fire or sacred fear,
Or love or pity or all that sweet notes not his might nursle:
It is the forgèd feature finds me; it is the rehearsal
Of own, of abrupt self there so thrusts on, so throngs
the ear.
Let him Oh! with his air of angels then lift me, lay me!
only I'll
Have an eye to the sakes of him, quaint moonmarks, to
his pelted plumage under
Wings: so some great stormfowl, whenever he has walked
his while
The thunder-purple seabeach plumè purple-of-thunder,
If a wuthering of his palmy snow-pinions scatter a
colossal smile
Off him, but meaning motion fans fresh our wits with
wonder.
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