by: Gerard Manley Hopkins
FELIX RANDAL the farrier, O he is 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?
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!
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;
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!
4 comments:
This poem is written to show us the vitality of religion over science and the religion is the resort to everyone in the case of his fragility.The speaker of this poem belittles religion and thinks that he is powerful,but later on his disease makes him very close to religion.
Hello
I think it is very similar to the poem ''the pulley'' by George Hebert in which the seek of rest is the only guarantee of man's return to his god. Felix Randal , a strong man is now under the mercy of illness, so he asks the priest to com and pray for him.
exactly eman felix randle was a big-boned man before his illness and he wasn't religious man but when he becomes a weak person 'sickness broke him. then he wants to return to god and he becomes a heeavenlier person. the pully on the other hand describes how man forget god when he is happy and have all the facilities of life, he forget god but when he becomes weak and he is inneed to god the pully is( machanical device) raises him to god.
"Felix Randal” is a particular individualistic poem written by Hopkins and it represents the Victorian poetry in its Romanticism in theme, feelings and tone. At the same time the poem can be categorized as a religious poem.
Hopkins’ sonnet Felix Randal reflects on long illness and death of a farrier called Felix Randal. The poet notices the ‘big-boned and hardy-handsome’ man reduced and declined ‘some fatal four disorder.’ In the process of the aggravating illness, the man loss the sense and power. the poet emphasizes the idea of his healing process. Being a priest poet who uses his spiritual power to heal the man. It is quiet paradoxical that physically strong men find it difficult to accept death. We see the extreme suffering of Felix. Furthermore the poet brings out the mutual bond between the healer (poet) and the healed (Felix). There is a bond of compassion and trust. Both exchanged their sympathy, empathy and kindness. Hopkins and Randal share similar feelings towards life.
Likewise Randal's tears also touched the priest's heart, so he is left with a sense of loss and mourning when the man dies. Their common humanity supported each with compassion. This common humanity was the basis of their divinity/ religion. Even though he was an extremely physically strong man he had to face the law of nature. In other words sickness can go beyond the physical power or the strength of men. Like Felix’s body broke under the law of nature (God). Obviously a person needs to be strong and big-boned in order to be able to put horseshoes on horses. And Hopkins tried to make the reader aware that no matter how strong a person is; eventually that person will die. Randall accepts his death through reprieve. Nature had given him a life extension for several months and now it was time for him to die. Felix became reconciled to his fate and achieved spiritual peace as a result of ministration of the poet- priest. “though a heavenlier heart began some Months earlier” this experience was mutually ennobling both farrier and the priest. Finally Felix became the poet priest’s spiritual child. But the process to understand and get agree with the law of nature was painful for both.
Basically the poem deals with the theme of physical strength as a deterrent a spiritual strength and life and death.
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