Inversnaid by Gerard Manley Hopkins (Grade 12 NSC Matric English FAL): Revision Notes
Inversnaid by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Overview and summary
"Inversnaid" is a brief but powerful poem written by Gerard Manley Hopkins that celebrates the beauty and importance of wild natural places. The poem focuses on describing a Scottish stream (called a "burn" in local dialect) and the landscape surrounding it. Hopkins uses vivid imagery and distinctive language to paint a picture of this untamed natural setting.
The term "burn" is Scottish dialect for a small stream or brook. Hopkins was particularly drawn to the rugged landscapes of Scotland and Wales, finding inspiration in their untamed natural beauty.
The poem begins by describing the brook's dark colour and powerful flow, with foam on its surface. The speaker then moves on to describe the surrounding hillsides, their shadows, and the various plants that grow there. The poem concludes with the speaker asking a thought-provoking question about what life would be like without such wild places, ultimately arguing that these natural areas should be preserved.
Structure and poetic techniques
Hopkins structures "Inversnaid" as four quatrains (four-line stanzas) with a straightforward rhyme scheme of AABB CCDD. This means the first two lines of each stanza rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines also rhyme with each other.
The poem's most distinctive feature is Hopkins' use of sprung rhythm, which was his signature poetic technique. This creates an irregular, energetic beat that mirrors the dynamic and unpredictable movement of natural scenes.
For example, in lines like "A windpuff-bonnet of fawn-froth," the stressed syllables fall in unexpected places, creating a lively, almost chaotic rhythm that perfectly matches the wild nature being described.
Hopkins employs several other important poetic techniques to enhance the poem's rhythm and sound:
-
Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, such as "rollrock" and "roaring" in the second line of the first stanza. This creates a musical quality and emphasises the rushing sound of water.
-
Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds within words that are close together. For example, the "o" sound in "coop" and "comb" in the third line of the first stanza creates a echoing effect.
-
Repetition: Hopkins repeats certain words and phrases throughout the poem, such as "Let them be" in the final stanza, which emphasises his plea for nature preservation.
-
Enjambment: This occurs when lines flow into each other without natural stopping points, forcing readers to move quickly to the next line to complete the meaning. This technique appears between lines two and three of the second stanza, creating a sense of continuous movement like flowing water.
Detailed analysis: stanza by stanza
Stanza one
Analysis of Stanza One:
This darksome burn, horseback brown,
His rollrock righroad roaring down,
In coop and in comb the fleece of his foam
Flutes and low to the lake falls home.
The opening stanza introduces us to the "darksome burn" - the word "burn" is Scottish dialect meaning a small stream or brook. The speaker describes it as "horseback brown", suggesting it's a rich, dark brown colour like a horse's coat. The stream flows with great power and energy.
Hopkins creates a sense of the stream's personality by personifying it - he refers to the burn as "His" and describes "His rollrock righroad roaring down." The invented word "rollrock" suggests how rocks tumble and roll along the stream bed, whilst "righroad" (right road) indicates the stream's proper path down the hillside.
The stream creates foam as it flows, which the speaker describes as "fleece" - comparing the white foam to sheep's wool. This foam creates patterns like "flutes" (grooves or channels) in the water before the stream eventually reaches the lake at its destination.
Stanza two
Analysis of Stanza Two:
A windpuff-bonnet of fawn-froth
Turns and twindles over the broth
Of a pool so pitchblack, fell-frowning,
It rounds and rounds Despair to drowning.
The second stanza continues with Hopkins' creative use of language. He describes foam that looks like "a windpuff-bonnet" - imagine a woman's bonnet being puffed up by the wind. The foam is "fawn-froth", meaning it's the light brown colour of a young deer's fur, suggesting the natural materials stirred up from the riverbed.
"Twindles" appears to be another of Hopkins' invented words, likely describing the twisting, swirling movements of the foam as it moves "over the broth" - comparing the churning water to thick soup.
The pool is described as "pitchblack" and "fell-frowning" (the fells are hills, so this suggests the hills casting dark shadows over the pool, making it look gloomy). The water moves in circular patterns, and Hopkins personifies "Despair" as something that could drown in these swirling waters - perhaps suggesting that the beauty of this place could overcome feelings of sadness or hopelessness.
Stanza three
Analysis of Stanza Three:
Degged with dew, dappled with dew
Are the groynes of the braes that the brook treads through,
Wiry heathpacks, flitches of fern,
And the beadbonny ash that sits over the burn.
The third stanza shifts focus to the landscape surrounding the stream. "Degged" is a Lancashire dialect word meaning "sprinkled," so the hillsides ("braes" in Scottish dialect) are sprinkled and dappled with dewdrops. These hillsides have valleys and ridges ("groynes") that the brook flows through.
The vegetation includes "Wiry heathpacks" - dense clumps of heather plants - and "flitches of fern" - strips or patches of fern fronds. Hopkins describes ash trees as "beadbonny", meaning they have beautiful berries that look like beads decorating the trees that grow along the water's edge.
This stanza creates a rich, textured picture of the diverse plant life thriving in this wild landscape, emphasising how nature creates its own intricate patterns and beauty.
Stanza four
Analysis of Stanza Four:
What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet
The final stanza takes a completely different approach from the descriptive verses that came before. Here, Hopkins poses a rhetorical question - a question asked for dramatic effect rather than expecting a literal answer. He asks what the world would be like if it were "bereft" (deprived) "of wet and wildness".
The first line uses enjambment powerfully, breaking at "bereft" to create drama and emphasis, forcing readers to pause and consider the implications.
The speaker then makes an passionate plea: "Let them be left" - repeated for emphasis. He wants wilderness areas to be preserved in their natural state. The final line, "Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet", functions almost like a toast or celebration, expressing hope that wild places will continue to exist and thrive.
This stanza transforms the poem from a nature description into an environmental message about the vital importance of preserving untamed natural spaces.
Key themes
The power, beauty, and value of wild nature
"Inversnaid" serves as both a celebration of untamed nature and a powerful argument for its protection. Hopkins presents the Scottish burn and its surrounding landscape as a source of healing and renewal. The speaker finds the "wilderness and wet" exhilarating and refreshing, suggesting that contact with wild places offers something essential that humans cannot find elsewhere.
Hopkins was writing during the Industrial Revolution when rapid urbanisation was transforming the British landscape. His environmental concerns were remarkably ahead of his time, anticipating modern conservation movements by decades.
The poem emphasises how this natural scene possesses its own energy and vitality. The burn flows with irrepressible power, churning up foam and "fawn-froth," rushing over rocks and through pools. The landscape isn't tame or orderly - instead it's covered with "wiry heathpacks," tangled shrubs, and wild plants that grow wherever they can take root.
Hopkins suggests that this wildness has almost healing properties. When the speaker observes the "pitchblack" pool, he imagines despair itself being drowned in the churning waters. The freedom and untamed energy of this landscape offers relief from human troubles, restoring a sense of hope and possibility.
The poem's conclusion makes clear that Hopkins views wilderness as irreplaceable treasure that humanity must protect. A world "bereft of wet and of wildness" would be impoverished indeed. The wilderness offers human beings essential beauty and energy that we need for our physical and spiritual wellbeing - but only if we have the wisdom to preserve it for future generations.
Key Points to Remember:
-
"Inversnaid" celebrates the power and beauty of wild natural places through vivid description of a Scottish stream and landscape
-
Hopkins uses sprung rhythm to create energetic, irregular beats that mirror the unpredictable movement of nature
-
Key techniques include alliteration ("rollrock righroad roaring"), personification (the stream as "His"), and invented words that capture natural sounds and movements
-
The poem moves from pure description in the first three stanzas to environmental advocacy in the final stanza's rhetorical question
-
The central theme argues that wild places are irreplaceable treasures that provide essential healing and renewal for humanity - therefore they must be protected