Selected Sonnets and Other Lyrics by Gerard Manley Hopkins

The Starlight Night

GLOSSARY
‘fire-folk’ – presumably beings made of fire. The angelic order of the Cherubim was believed to be of this nature.

‘boroughs’ – towns.

‘circle-citadels’ – circular-walled fortresses.

‘diamond delves’ – diamond mines (an archaism).

‘quickgold’ – a coinage by analogy with quicksilver. The latter is mercury, a liquid silvery metal. Quickgold, therefore, is a liquid golden metal.

‘whitebeam’ – the chess apple tree.

‘abeles’ – white poplars. Chess apples and white poplars both have silvery undersides to their leaves which glint when the wind blows. ‘Airy’ seems to imply the poplar canopy filled with air as the wind disturbs the leaves.

‘alms’ – charitable gifts.

‘May-mess’ – the stars appear like clusters of blossom, either on hawthorn trees (also called ‘mays’) or on the many fruit trees that blossom in May.

‘mealed-with-yellow sallows’ – ‘sallows’ are pussy willows. The description suggests the powdery coating of their yellow flowers.

‘shocks’ – sheaves of corn.

‘the piece-bright paling’ – ‘paling’ means ‘fence;’ ‘piece-bright’ means bright in pieces, possibly with a suggestion of the silver coins called ‘pieces of eight.’

‘spouse’ – married partner.

‘hallows’ – saints.