As Kingfishers Catch Fire

Lately, I have been reflecting on a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins entitled “As Kingfishers Catch Fire.” Hopkins was a 19th century, Victorian poet from London that became a Catholic priest. Many of his poems reflect on the nature of God and the Christian life. He has become one of my favorite poets, so I wanted to do what I call a narrative analysis of his poem. As far as I know (although I am likely wrong) narrative analysis is something of my own creation, so I will explain the practice.

A narrative analysis is a way of interpreting and interacting with a poem. It attempts to include, build off of, and explain a poem by telling a story. It helps me to have insight into the poem itself and sometimes to see inside of myself. Please read Hopkins' poem first and then I hope my story blesses you.

As Kingfishers Catch Fire

By Gerard Manley Hopkins

As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;

As tumbled over rim in roundy wells

Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell's

Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;

Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:

Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;

Selves — goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,

Crying Whát I dó is me: for that I came.

I say móre: the just man justices;

Keeps grace: thát keeps all his goings graces;

Acts in God's eye what in God's eye he is —

Chríst — for Christ plays in ten thousand places,

Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his

To the Father through the features of men's faces.

I went for a walk just as dawn was breaking and I came upon a pair of kingfishers. What a beautiful sight these birds were! As the sun rose, light washed over these majestic creatures, and it was as if the kingfishers caught the fire of the sun–reflecting the golden light off of their rich, blue and orange feathers. As they flew away they seemed like flaming arrows shooting across the morning sky.

I continued to walk down by the lake and I saw a dragonfly flitting about the marshes. It too seemed to draw flame from the sun; the early morning rays shining through its translucent, blue and green wings. It was as if God had made a kaleidoscope out of a small, yet mighty dragon. Oh what my eyes have seen in the early morning of the day!

Later that morning I came across an old stone well, its round stones stacked together like a cairn in remembrance of something, although I cannot say what. But I am sure the water drawn from it granted much life over the years. I’m not sure if it was the kingfishers or the dragonfly or both, but I was feeling quite alive this morning. I even felt playful, like a young boy exploring the woods on a Saturday morning. So I tumbled a stone over the rim of the well and I was overjoyed to hear the stone sing as it ricocheted around all the way to the bottom. I would not have paid more for the symphony than to hear that joyous sound!

Although I will say, the song of the stone was not the only song I heard sung that day! If nothing else I am a true Cockney, born within hearing distance of the church bells at St. Mary-le-Bow. I was born once and born again in the sixth hour of the day, and on that day those bells sang. They sang again today and they seemed to tell a story like the tucked strings of a sacred harp. As the stone well reminded me of some long distant memory, when the hammer struck the bow of the bell it was as if the church bells spoke with their very own tongue, crying out a name to me. Oh what my ears have heard this bright and glorious day!

As I sat in the cool of a little garden I reflected upon both what my eyes had seen and my ears had heard. I came to realize that each mortal thing does one thing and the same as the kingfisher and the dragonfly. Every living creature is no different than the singing stone, sacred harp, or ringing bell. They all live out what is inside them; their very nature, their reason for being, whatever it is that dwells inside of them cannot help but to come out of them. I guess that is what it means to be yourself. Everything I came across was simply spelling out, speaking out, crying out: What I do is me; what I do is the reason that I came, my reason for existence.

And yet, in the shadow of the steeple I could not help but ask a question. Who am I to be in this life? What is it that is inside of you and inside of me that is trying to cry out “this is the reason why we exist!”

And then I pondered some more and it came to me. You and I are just as the kingfisher that caught fire. Like the flaming dragonfly and the stinging stone, like the sacred harp and the ringing bells we cry out and spell out that which is in us. The unique way in which God made us! A man who is just cannot help but to dole out true justice, righteous and kind! He cannot help it because it is why he was created! The woman of wisdom is never foolish, and the man that is brave commits acts of valor and courage. A woman of temperance is a shining light for us all! Simply, it is who we are.

And when we all stay true, when we keep the gracious gifts we have been given by the One above, who gives all good things, by being our true selves, that is what it means to be in the will of God. When you and I and all of us walk in the light of our own creation God sees us and sees us for who we are–Christ himself. For Christ plays in ten thousand places. He dances with limbs not his own, and although not his either, his lovely eyes are full of wonder and awe when he looks towards our heavenly Father.

As I walked towards home I looked upon the features of mens faces, and I saw Christ. Lewis was right when he said that we have never met or spoken to mere mortals. However the weight of glory is light as a feather because Christ plays in the lives of all men, women, and children. What started with a pair of kingfishers in the early hours of the morning culminated in an answer to a question I have had for so long. What are we to do with this one glorious life? We are in a divine play, yet we shall not act. We must ring true to ourselves for this in itself is what it means to do the will of our Father. And by His grace it is how we worship. I pray that we all might let our light shine just as bright as the kingfisher catches fire.

As I wrote this I thought of one of my favorite quotes from Marianne Williamson that I thought I’d share with you as well.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

― Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles"