Passage II (G. M. Hopkins, 'No worst, there is none', written 1885, published 1918)
No worst, there is none. Pitched past pitch of grief,
More pangs will, schooled at forepangs, wilder wring.
Comforter, where, where is your comforting?
Mary, mother of us, where is your relief?
My cries heave, herds-long; huddle in a main, a chief
Woe, world-sorrow; on an age-old anvil wince and sing —
Then lull, then leave off. Fury had shrieked 'No ling-
ering! Let me be fell: force I must be brief.'
O the mind, mind has mountains; cliffs of fall
Frightful, sheer, no-man-fathomed. Hold them cheap
May who ne'er hung there. Nor does long our small
Durance deal with that steep or deep. Here! creep,
Wretch, under a comfort serves in a whirlwind: all
Life death does end and each day dies with sleep.
Which two of the following are true of the poem?
- A. Not everyone knows the intensity or depth of suffering.
- B. Death does not end our suffering.
- C. Suffering is seen as winds that hinder comfort.
- D. The intensity or depth of suffering lies in the mind.
Pick an option to check yourself, or open the answer below.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C. A and D only
Explanation
'Hold them cheap / May who ne'er hung there' (A); 'the mind, mind has mountains' (D). The closing line says death ends all life, so B is false.