About the poet
A poet and Jesuit priest from England, Gerard Manley Hopkins was renowned for his creative use of form and phrase. His unique style is characterized by “sprung rhythm,” a meter he created that prioritizes stress above syllabic count, and his poetry frequently examines religious topics, the natural world, and the human experience.
The speaker is a priest who reflects on the death of a young man named Felix Randal. The speaker provided spiritual comfort to Felix Randal as his life neared its end. The speaker, however, doesn’t dwell on date so much and paints a picture of Felix Randal in his prime life. The poem is somewhere between elegy and eulogy both lamenting Randal’s death and celebrating his life. The poem is most likely based on a young farrier named Felix Spencer who died young.
Line by line Analysis
Felix Randal the farrier, O is he dead then? my duty all ended, Who have watched his mould of man, big-boned and hardy-handsome Pining, pining, till time when reason rambled in it, and some Fatal four disorders, fleshed there, all contended?
In the first quatrain, Hopkins sketches the course of the farrier’s illness as the large man faded away until his thoughts became confused and Four different disorders combined to kill him. The speaker asks if Felix who was once so strong, and full of life is actually dead now. The speaker who is a priest had cared for Felix during his illness. He remembers how Felix was once strong, but gradually became weak and distressed by his sickness. It is generally believed that the speaker of this quatrain is Hopkins himself, as he too was a priest. We learn that Felix Randal was a farrier, which means a horse shoe maker. He describes Felix’s huge physical features- “big-boned and hardy-handsome “ which gradually deteriorated along with his health.
Sickness broke him. Impatient, he cursed at first, but mended Being anointed and all; though a heavenlier heart began some Months earlier, since I had our sweet reprieve and ransom Tendered to him. Ah well, God rest him all road ever he offended!
Initially, Felix was frustrated and upset about his illness and the thought of dying. However, his perspective changed after the priest performed the ‘anointment’, a religious ceremony intended to prepare someone spiritually for death. Even before this ritual, Felix had begun to develop faith in God, influenced by the connection he shared with the speaker. Through the line, “Ah well, God rest him all road ever he offended!” the speaker prays to God for forgiveness for any sins Felix Randal may have committed.
This seeing the sick endears them to us, us too it endears. My tongue had taught thee comfort, touch had quenched thy tears, Thy tears that touched my heart, child, Felix, poor Felix Randal;
Looking after a person who is ill increases our love for them. The priest provided solace to Felix with his kind words and gentle deeds, allowing Felix to feel relaxed. The speaker was deeply moved by Felix’s tears and pain, depicting the deep connection they had developed. If this poem mirrors actual life, Hopkins is conveying the true bond he experienced with Felix. He affectionately calls the sick Felix, who is close to death, “child, Felix, dear Felix Randal.”
How far from then forethought of, all thy more boisterous years, When thou at the random grim forge, powerful amidst peers, Didst fettle for the great grey drayhorse his bright and battering sandal!
The final three lines of the poem reflect on the joyful years Felix enjoyed during his life. The speaker contrasts this with Felix’s condition before his illness. The word “boisterous” conveys his energetic and lively nature. When Felix was strong and healthy, working as a blacksmith or farrier, he was admired and respected by those around him. During that time, Felix was in his prime, dedicated to his craft and proud of the dependable horseshoes he created. It is likely that he never imagined becoming so fragile and reliant on others because of his illness.
