Heaven and i wept together, and its sweet tears were salt with mortal mine. The hound of heaven by francis thompson 1890 hound of heaven. The hound of heaven francis thompsons haunting poem. The happiness is in the seeking, the misery in the denial.
The hound of heaven by francis thompson, jean young. The hound of heaven poem by francis thompson poem hunter. This biography follows the journey of a young man who plummeted from the heights of a comfortable life to the depths of drug addiction in londons seedy alleysand then found redemption. The hound of heaven explained the hound of heaven is a 182line poem written by english poet francis thompson 18591907.
He was running from his father, from his failure as a medical student, from god himself. Nov 05, 2010 heaven and i wept together, and its sweet tears were salt with mortal mine. Oconnor, in a published study of the poem, says that in it francis thompson seems to sing, in verse, the thought of st. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Like whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee save me, save only me. It was way back in 1952 when i was 11 years old studying at st. See all 47 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Announcing a brand new free ebook ready for you to download. And lo, christ walking on the water, not of genesareth, but thames. The poem was first published in thompsons first volume of poems in 1893. The story francis thompson tells his classic poem the hound of heaven in a haunting story of dreams with a yearning we do not fully understand. With frantic poignancy the devotee in the poet seeks the deliberate speed and reduces himself into an withering haggard. A study of francis thompsons hound of heaven paperback april 11, 2017. You are encouraged to pass it on to others, but please do not alter its contents or sell it for profit.
In the book, a study of francis thompsons hound of heaven, author john oconer gives a noteworthy description of the poem. The hound of heaven by francis thompson 1890 hound of. Thousands have read the hound of heaven with tears, for it is the story of gods pursuit of all, who, like thompson, reject him, and try to flee from him. Francis thompson by thompson, francis seller mw books ltd. Today, my directress suggested that we read a poem called the hound of heaven by francis thompson 18591907.
The awakening of the domini canes, the dogs of god, meant that the hunt was up once more. The poem describes how god pursues us as sinners with patient, victorious, saving love paradoxically pictured as a blood hound hunts down a criminal, but here to save me. Full text of a study of francis thompsons hound of heaven. The hound of heaven typifies an important characteristic of our god. Thompson spent the years from 18931897 nursing his frail health in a monastery in wales. Donna barber obviously, thompson has been dead for years and he wrote in late victorian and early edwardian times when styles were different. The hound of heaven still rings true for humans that. Nov 25, 2014 if youve never heard those famous opening lines from francis thompsons classic poem, the hound of heaven, its not surprising. Uncommonly good collectible and rare books from uncommonly good booksellers. Yea, in the night, my soul, my daughter, cryclinging to heaven by the hems. It is difficult to write about thompsons poetry without writing mainly about himself. When he was 18, at his parents insistence, he entered owens college in manchester to follow in his fathers footsteps and study medicine. I highly recommend this kindle edition to anyone who seeks to be enriched by francis thompson s portrayal of a loving, omnipotent, and omniscient god who seeks after us as the hound of heaven.
Editions of the hound of heaven by francis thompson. In the hound of heaven, as in much else that he has written, there is abundance of his own experience, and indeed his poems often remind us of the sorrows of teufelsdrockh. Against the red throb of its sunsetheart i laid my own to beat, and share commingling heat. The hound of heaven still rings true for humans that flee. By francis thompson 1890 i fled him, down the nights and down the days. Francis thompson 16 december 1859 november 1907 was an english poet and catholic mystic. The hound of heaven by francis thompson famous poems. The hound of heaven a modern adaptation child of grace. You can also read the full text online using our ereader. Table of contents01 about this book02 introduction03 of the hound of heaven04 the hound of heaven. The hound of heaven by francis thompson 18591907 i fled him, down the nights and down the days.
The text is preceded by of the hound of heaven, a brief note by wilfrid meynell initialed w. I fled him, down the labyrinthine ways of my own mind. When he was 18, at his parents insistence, he entered owens college in manchester to follow. Dec 21, 2009 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. The relentless love of god in pursuit of francis thompson. The story francis thompson tells in his classic poem the hound of heaven works in exactly this waystirring our hearts with a yearning we may not fully understand. The hound of heaven is a 182line poem written by english catholic poet francis thompson 18591907. The poem became famous and was the source of much of thompsons posthumous reputation. The hound of heaven is a version of that romance which smites the soul into a humble mood of acknowledgment and penitence. The project gutenberg etext of the hound of heaven, by.
When francis thompson wrote this poem in the 1880s, he was a homeless opium addict. A brilliant addicted poet, a tortured soul, writing of the genius, the godstuff, in us all. In our day, this 19th century poet has fallen into obscurity. After attending college, he moved to london to become a writer, but in menial work, became addicted to opium, and was a. Francis thompsons haunting the hound of heaven captures the feelings of one who, overwhelmed by guilt or a sense of unworthiness, attempts to shut god out of hisher life. Last week i wrote about the story of the prodigal son, and this weeks poem could just as well be about that story. The hound of heaven kindle edition by thompson, francis. The poetry of francis thompson appeared in three small volumes. The hound of heaven is a 182line poem written by english poet francis thompson 18591907.
A dynamic table of contents enables to jump directly to the chapter selected. The hound of heaven is the masterpiece of the english poet, francis thompson 18591907. Oculus studios, in partnership with producerwriter, greg bandy had the great pleasure to create a fascinating documentary about the groundbreaking poet of the late 19th century, francis thompson, and his masterpiece the hound of heaven. Thompson tells the familiar story of the sinners flight from god, and gods even more insistent pursuit of the erring soulthe poem has major appeal on many levelsthis little. Buy the hound of heaven by francis thompson from amazons fiction books store. The hound of heaven wikisource, the free online library. Its just 8 pages long, containing the full text of one of the most famous poems in christendom. The poem was immediately recognized as a masterpiece. He slept every night on the streets of londonon the bank of the river. Yet god, said francis, graciously pursued him, as it were, as the hound of heaven. Buy a cheap copy of the hound of heaven book by francis thompson. In his poem the hound of heaven, the catholic poet francis thompson develops the theme of gods love ever in pursuit of man who tries to find consolation elsewhere. The hound of heaven is a 182 line religious poem written by english poet francis thompson.
In no strange land by francis thompson the jesus question. Francis thompson 18591907 francis thompson was born in northwest england in 1859. This electronic version was created for free distribution by philip a. Hailed by evangelical literary critic gene edward veith as one of the greatest christian poems, this enduring classic tells the story of a rich young man addicted. There once was a man who had two sons the simplicity of this famous parable belies some richly profound truths. The son of catholic converts, as a boy he was initially educated for the priesthood. I can still remember the day i first heard the recitation of francis thompsons the hound of heaven. Dedicated with permission to his eminence cardinal farley father oconors study of francis thompsons hound of heaven contains the complete poem, an interpretation, a mys tical application and parallel with the spiritual exercises of st. Unlike many of his contemporaries, the english poet francis thompson 18591907 was a true mystic.
This biography follows the journey of a young man who plummeted from the heights of a comfortable life to the depths of drug addiction in. The lines of the poem as wel as some background information on the poet can be found here. One evening, our boardingmaster, reverend brother andrew michael, a christian brother of the order. Feb 11, 2010 the lines of the poem as wel as some background information on the poet can be found here. Watch our video of the popular song the king of heaven wants us. The story of francis thompson is a compelling documentary that tells the human story behind the poem. I can still remember the day i first heard the recitation of francis thompson s the hound of heaven. A powerful description of the pursuit of a human soul by god. I found it on the internet, and quickly saw that it was going to take some work to translate it into the way we speak today.
The hound of heaven is a poem on profound devotion and burning anguish. The hound of heaven quotes showing 17 of 7 i fled him down the nights and down the days. Something comes through the poem into our own lives, kindling a desire we cannot quite put our finger on. Francis thompson 18591907 i fled him, down the nights and down the days. The vagabond poet is a psychic traveler in the abstract realm of god, and god realization is his only concern. Find the hound of heaven by thompson, francis at biblio. A pocketsized illustrated version of the francis thompsons classic poem, the hound of heaven. This book is available for free download in a number of formats including epub, pdf, azw, mobi and more. Few people have understood these parables better than francis thompson. The hound of heaven kindle edition by thompson, francis, langdale, stella. One of the most loved and possibly one of the more difficult christian poems to read and appreciate, the hound of heaven has been loved for over a century.
All which i took from thee i did but take, not for thy harms. The hound of heaven the relentless love of god in pursuit of francis thompson hosea 10. It was included in the oxford book of english mystical verse 1917. The hound of heaven francis thompson, an english poet and ascetic 18591907 this ebook presents the hound of heaven.
Richard burton reads the haunting poem the hound of heaven. Jean young provides beautiful new illustration for this poem. The hound of heaven by francis thompson free ebook. The first of these volumes contained the hound of heaven. But not by that, by that, was eased my human smart. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Francis thompson the hound of heaven 1 i fled him, down the nights and down the days. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the hound of heaven. It is a poem of soaring cadenes that carry the reader into a mystical realm where the human spirit comes into direct contact with divine revelation. Francis thompson francis thompson biography poem hunter. Although i still prefer the original, i am glad that the author has included the modern adaption as i. Of the hound of heaven rancis thompson, born in preston in 1859, spent the greater part of his mature life in london where he died in 1907.
But there was a time when thompsons fellow writers praised his pen as among the most poignant in the englishspeaking world. A sermon preached in duke university chapel on september 16, 2007 by the revd dr sam wells. They also arranged for the publication of his first book in 1893, simply titled poems, which included the hound of heaven. Francis thompson was born into a welltodo catholic family in manchester, england, in 1859. While more celebrated poets, like wordsworth, tennyson, and arnold, were content to express their religious leanings in traditional devotional formulae, thompson strove to portray the divine directly, in all its terrifying majesty. If youve never heard those famous opening lines from francis thompsons classic poem, the hound of heaven, its not surprising.
A pocketsized illustrated version of the francis thompson s classic poem, the hound of heaven. At the behest of his father, a doctor, he entered medical school at the age of 18, but at 26 left home to pursue his talent as a writer and poet. The story of francis thompson is a compelling documentary that tells the human story. I once knew a young woman who told me i get so angry with the bible. But though on the whole this is a fine piece of writing its too mannered, some of the word choices are poor to the point of being naff and the rhythm wanders all over the shop. With frantic poignancy the devotee in the poet seeks the deliberate speed. The description of the poem will cause you to want to read and meditate on this centuriesold, masterpiece of prose. Richard burton reads the haunting poem the hound of.
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