Sunday, 25 October 2026

"CHRIST MINDS"

The blog Christian Nature Poetry has posted the sonnet "The Lantern Out of Doors" by Gerald Manley Hopkins.  It includes the phrase, "Christ minds", which bears a lot of thinking about.  So a few thoughts follow.  For stanza three I have used Scots, firstly because "minds" is "remembers" in Scots, but then since a few double meanings are possible.  So I have put an English version below.  For stanza one "hind" can mean both a female deer and a peasant.

Christ minds.

He seeks and finds, us, His wandering

Hinds; heals our diseases, our blindness,

Holds our hearts and binds their breaks.


Yet Christ minds

Our wandering; grieves at unaligned 

Living; see our confined and unconfined

Wilderness paths: all kinds of revolt.


But, aye, Christ minds

Whit He his dien fer tyned

Craturs; whit He his tholed that

They mith be kynd.


But, [yes or always], Christ remembers

What He has done for [lost or antlered]

Creatures; what He has endured that

They might be [kindred or caring].




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I'm glad to hear how this strikes you!