The Windhover

“The Windhover” is a complicated poem. The complication comes from a few things, including the unusual syntax and the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated images. While the images seem to come and go without much literal sense, they all relate to the experience of epiphany, religious fervor, and inspiration. Initially, the bird’s grace and strength invoke a feeling that is Christlike, then the fire opens before the speaker as an expression of his feeling about seeing the beauty and strength of the Christlike bird, and finally the fire itself opens to reveal a deeper core that is both extraordinary and commonplace, suggesting this experience is as extraordinary as Christ and as common as a bird.

It is helpful to think of the poem in two parts. The first stanza is the first part where the speaker sets up an image to be dwelled upon in the second half of the poem. This image is both metaphorical and literal, as Hopkins uses precise descriptors and truncated syntax to better represent the bird’s movement. He also uses his own metrical invention—sprung rhythm (See: Literary Devices)—to let his form capture the bird’s movement.