Chapter Biography of The Collected Poems - Study Guide by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Hopkins wanted his poetry to represent a mode of existence that was outside of everyday experience, so that the reader became part of the verse itself. Sprung rhythm alerts us to a transcendental state of otherness in the poetry, and works through trying to emulate the meter of everyday speech, whilst remaining within the bounds of poetry. The most famous, and greatest example of sprung rhythm is to be found in "The Starlight Night": "Look at the stars! Look, look up at the skies!" Here, the naïve enthusiasm that Hopkins feels for the beauty of the night sky is captured not only in the language, but also in the meter. It is in this way that Hopkins attempts to capture the ‘inscape’ of his subjects.