Inversnaid
• Celebratory tone
• Talks about a burn (a stream) in the Highlands of Scotland
• Poem records an experience of instress, recreating Hopkins' insight into the uniquely
divine nature of the scene he saw that day.
• Parts:
• Motion of the River
• Surroundings of the River
• Admiration of Nature and fear of potential destruction
Motion of the River
• Rhyming couplets- convey the movement of the rushing water.
• Each line has a steady beat of 4 stresses which emphasises the continuous momentum of the
river. Number of syllables vary- poem is very free-flowing like the movement of the water
• Energy of the river evokes through the dynamic phrase “horseback brown”. The
consistent compressions of a horse rider on a horses back are mimetic of the different
levels of a rivers energy
• Different energy levels:
• Falling over a waterfall- “roaring down” relates the speed of the river to the
speed of a stampede emphasising its intensity and vigour
• Alliteration on third line of first stanza “coop and in comb” “fleece of his foam”-
is mimetic of the concave and convex motion of the water- the unconfined
nature of this movement. Additionally- “foam” characterises the texture of the
water as white and froth like
• Enjambement between third and fourth line mimetic of the unstoppable motion
of the river
• Stanza ends with “falls home”- as if this was a concluding phase which sets
the tone of the river’s motion to rest and resolution for the next stanza- in the
plunge pool below a waterfall
• Shift to meanders: coinage “windpuff-bonnet of fawn-froth”- “puff”- light and
“fawn” gives the scene a yellow-brown colour. Creates a delicate image
mimetic of the river’s whimsical meandering
• Hopkins suggests through the phrase “ it rounds and rounds Despair to
drowning” that this meandering action of the river makes a viewer lose oneself
in a hypnotic manner- rs and ds in rounds and rounds imitate the deep, dark
swirling water, highlighting the entrancing nature of the river
Surroundings
• “wiry heathpacks, flitches of fern”- rough texture of the banks of the river
• The beadbonny ash tree is personified as a girl wearing a bead necklace. This
suggests how beautiful the ash berries are: the tree wears them like jewellery.
• Alliteration in “degged with due, dappled with dew” and repetition “with dew” are
emphatic in order to point out the dampness of the surroundings of the river. The word
“degged” is dialect which gives the language a rugged feel
• Idea that it is the “groins of the braes” that are damp highlights the influence of the
river on its surroundings- reiterates the power of the river in this landscape
• Personification of the river as “tread”ing and of the trees “groins” and of the ash
“sit”ing- compare the movement of the river with the stationary stances of the
surrounding
• Celebratory tone
• Talks about a burn (a stream) in the Highlands of Scotland
• Poem records an experience of instress, recreating Hopkins' insight into the uniquely
divine nature of the scene he saw that day.
• Parts:
• Motion of the River
• Surroundings of the River
• Admiration of Nature and fear of potential destruction
Motion of the River
• Rhyming couplets- convey the movement of the rushing water.
• Each line has a steady beat of 4 stresses which emphasises the continuous momentum of the
river. Number of syllables vary- poem is very free-flowing like the movement of the water
• Energy of the river evokes through the dynamic phrase “horseback brown”. The
consistent compressions of a horse rider on a horses back are mimetic of the different
levels of a rivers energy
• Different energy levels:
• Falling over a waterfall- “roaring down” relates the speed of the river to the
speed of a stampede emphasising its intensity and vigour
• Alliteration on third line of first stanza “coop and in comb” “fleece of his foam”-
is mimetic of the concave and convex motion of the water- the unconfined
nature of this movement. Additionally- “foam” characterises the texture of the
water as white and froth like
• Enjambement between third and fourth line mimetic of the unstoppable motion
of the river
• Stanza ends with “falls home”- as if this was a concluding phase which sets
the tone of the river’s motion to rest and resolution for the next stanza- in the
plunge pool below a waterfall
• Shift to meanders: coinage “windpuff-bonnet of fawn-froth”- “puff”- light and
“fawn” gives the scene a yellow-brown colour. Creates a delicate image
mimetic of the river’s whimsical meandering
• Hopkins suggests through the phrase “ it rounds and rounds Despair to
drowning” that this meandering action of the river makes a viewer lose oneself
in a hypnotic manner- rs and ds in rounds and rounds imitate the deep, dark
swirling water, highlighting the entrancing nature of the river
Surroundings
• “wiry heathpacks, flitches of fern”- rough texture of the banks of the river
• The beadbonny ash tree is personified as a girl wearing a bead necklace. This
suggests how beautiful the ash berries are: the tree wears them like jewellery.
• Alliteration in “degged with due, dappled with dew” and repetition “with dew” are
emphatic in order to point out the dampness of the surroundings of the river. The word
“degged” is dialect which gives the language a rugged feel
• Idea that it is the “groins of the braes” that are damp highlights the influence of the
river on its surroundings- reiterates the power of the river in this landscape
• Personification of the river as “tread”ing and of the trees “groins” and of the ash
“sit”ing- compare the movement of the river with the stationary stances of the
surrounding
