The Sea and the Skylark

As a lake in the sun, I sing,
With the skylark soaring above,
And with a gentle movement,
Stirring the reeds where they love.

My voice breaks and gathers to drape,
Sweet chorus the winds in their wake,
And echoing soft my jovial sound,
Vying forward lest they break.

So in the movement revolving,
Between the stillness—repairs,
The Buck hops down, fickle yet there.

— Gerard Manley Hopkins

• Gerard Manley Hopkins