By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘Pied Beauty’ belongs to the middle period of the poetic career of Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-89), that period when he had found his distinctive poetic voice but before he became plagued by depression later in his short life. The poem reflects this: ‘Pied Beauty’ is written by a poet who is confident in his style, and in his religious faith. Here are some thoughts on the poem, which might be considered some notes towards an analysis of it.