Quote by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Spring and Fall: To a Young ChildMárgarét, are you gríevingOver Goldengrove unleaving?Leáves, líke the things of man, youWith your fresh thoughts care for, can you?Ah! ás the heart grows olderIt will come to such sights colderBy and by, nor spare a sighThough worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;And yet you wíll weep and know why.Now no matter, child, the name:Sórrow's spríngs áre the same.Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressedWhat heart heard of, ghost guessed:It ís the blight man was born for,It is Margaret you mourn for.


Spring and Fall: To a Young ChildMárgarét, are you gríevi

Summary

The quote, taken from the poem "Spring and Fall: To a Young Child" by Gerard Manley Hopkins, expresses the inevitability of sadness and loss as one grows older. The young child, named Margaret, is seen grieving over the falling leaves of Goldengrove, symbolizing the transient nature of life and beauty. The speaker acknowledges that as the heart grows older, it becomes colder and less able to appreciate the beauty in fleeting moments. The quote suggests that sorrow is an essential part of the human experience and that Margaret's grief is not simply over the nameless leaves but rather represents a deeper understanding of the universal human fate of encountering pain and loss.

By Gerard Manley Hopkins
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