PIED BEAUTY

Structure-based analysis
Rhyme scheme is funny here. ABCABC DBEDE. Note how every rhyming line
is indented to the same extent. This perhaps portrays the different hierarchies
of the world that we see today, whether it is caste, wealth or class. He
perhaps is trying to link them all together, and express the feeling that there is
room for everyone in the kingdom of God, or God sees all, from the rich to the
poor, no matter what your social status. The peculiar rhyme scheme could
represent the fact that we often find God a very mysterious entity, one that
works in mysterious ways. We cannot fully understand why he often does
things so out of convention but they are all part of his plan to make everything
work. The break in the rhyme scheme illustrates the fact that God is
unpredictable, when you start to understand what he does and how he works,
the more he changes and does something completely different. Therefore the
poet is trying to demonstrate the fact that we cannot even begin to
comprehend the concept of God, and that the only thing we are certain about
him is his uncertainty. The last line in the poem praise him is indented
differently from the rest of the poem, providing a very powerful message for
the conclusion, as if the poet was saying Amen at the end of a prayer. Iambic
pentameter not used, instead, Sprung Rhythm is used. This is a poetic
rhythm designed to imitate the rhythm of natural speech. It is constructed from
feet in which the first syllable is stressed and may be followed by a variable
number of unstressed syllables. In this case, the poet uses this to make his
poem sound more genuine, emphasizing the fact that he truly feels this sense
of love towards God. The fact that it sounds like natural speech also creates a
stronger empathy link with the reader and the poet, thus making it easier for
the poet to get his point across.
This is the proposed separation technique found in the poem.
Hyphenated words are throughout the whole poem. This was very common in
the romanticism era but this technique came to be associated with the
innovative sonic experimentation of 20th century modernization.
This is an Old Testament biblical hymn or psalm writing style, once again
going back to God and how God is exemplified throughout the poem. Similar
to how God is the fabric that makes up the whole poem, we can also say that
God is also found in the fabric of society in itself, no matter what we do,
similar to how God is found in every aspect that we describe in the poem.
Check out Psalm 148. Do you find much difference?
A lot of alliteration found in this poem. This is used by the poet to unify all
aspects that is described in the poem together despite the fact that that the
words sometimes contrast each other. However, in other aspects they are
similar. Such examples are sweet and sour that although they contrast in
taste, they are all different forms of taste. Therefore what the poet is trying to
do here is make links between everything we see and say that we in fact, are
all living in this world where everything is linked and that we are all created
from the same God that made the world so beautiful. This makes the reader
feel loved as we feel part of something bigger than ourselves and make us
look at God with a lot more love than we previously had, which was the
primary aim of the poet.

Text-based analysis
1) In the first line of the poem, the poet thanks God for dappled things. In
this sense he is talking about animals having different patterns on their skins.
In this sense he could be addressing patterns and how it provides us with a
sense of variety. In this way providing mystery for us humans to discover,
whether it is finding a new species or sailing the world to see new places.
What is life without its mysteries in essence? He further expresses this in the
second and third stanza.
For skies of couple-color as a brindled cow. Note that skies of couple-color
can only be done when we have streaks of it, otherwise it would just be one
color due to the mixture, bringing up the topic of dappled things.
Furthermore the word dappled is another word for brindled.
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim Once again he is talking
about dappled things in the trout with stipple patterns on it. Furthermore take
note that stippling is a form of art technique, demonstrating the fact that all
patterns and forms of variation found in animals is a form of art from God.
Take note of the special stippling patterns of the fish.He also ranges from trout
to cow and mentions the sky, therefore he is trying to include all aspects by
addressing one of the broadest concepts possible: The land, sea and sky.
Also, take note that the poet begins with Glory be to God, which is often
heard at the church when we read the Bible, thus creating a psalm-like poem
effect. In the fourth line he talks about he talks about the Landscape plotted
and pieced- fold, fallow and plough; Note that plotted and pieced are two
words that portray alliteration and rightly so for they all fit together and
complement each other. When we read this we often imagine an agricultural
imagery, which mostly brings about European imagery, as we start think about
olden times before modernization began. This brings about a sense of
calmness and tranquility, as the emotions that are usually evoked when we
see such imagery. I dont even have to look past the first picture to get these
sorts of pictures when I search it up on
In the sixth line, we start to mention trade, or a skilled job. Note how he tends
to mention generic tools (gear) and actions (tackled and bum) for various
purposes in various jobs. Without mentioning it, he already has made a
reference to fishing, sailing, clothes making and many other jobs.
Trade may be used to represent a connection between ones works and job,
perhaps creating a link with passion, of which doing often brings one joy. In
terms of trade, the word dappled, mentioned has a wider meaning and
contradicts the scope of the first stanza, in which the speaker focuses mainly
on the visual aspects when mentioned.
Furthermore note that trade is used to benefit both people so that both
perceive that they have traded for something better. Therefore the mention of
trade usually evokes happy images for one who does so often.
In the seventh line, the poet talks about how All things counter, original,
spare, strange. The word counter represents how everything on this Earth
counters all that is normal, indicating that everything on this Earth is in
essence, extraordinary.
On the other hand, it can once again be a reference to God and how our

concept of God counter(s) all logical thinking and how it counters the theory
of science, the very subject that explains how the world works.
Take note how the poet doesnt stop his usage of commas, indicating that he
feels no need or impulse to stop, as if he feels emotionally engulfed in his love
for the world and for God.
Rather than list specific objects, he uses adjectives to describe their
equalities. Take note that by doing so he has pointed out a range of objects
that can actually be infinite depending on the readers interpretation of the
adjective because opinion is often subjective. Therefore by doing so the poet
can address a million different things that can fit the readers interpretation
instead of only talking about a few small specific objects that some can fail to
appreciate.
Once again the words used to indicate unpredictability return, with words like
fickle which means liable to sudden change. Freckle reminds me once
again of stippling, which can be used to talk about dappled things once
again when we think about the trout. The phrase in brackets (who knows
how?) once again talks about the beauty of the unknown and how it provides
adventure. Therefore once again the implications of the first three lines of the
poem can be seen here.
The semi-colons used to divide between the three pairs of contrasting words.
Once again they bring up the thought of unpredictability and how it is possible
for something to freckled with two opposite qualities.
Also, never forget the power of contrasting aspects. What is the point of
having something that has no opposite? How do we compare things? What is
the point of having good people if we cannot compare it with the bad? What
would good even mean then? It is therefore the contrast that something that it
is. Also, note how the power of putting the two contrasting words together.
Think of sweet and sour pork, they contrast each other, yet taste amazing.
Take note of the word fathers-forth in the second last line. In turns of
Christianity, God is portrayed as the trinity, the father, son and the Holy Spirit.
In this sense he can be making a reference to God as a kind father. He has
also put him in such a way that although the world changes as we move from
past to future, His beauty will forever remain beautiful.
Praise him. Amen. Refer to the structured level analysis. Note that in the first
line, God is spelled with a capital G. However in the final line of poem him
is spelled with a lower case letter, although the implication is the same and
therefore should have a capital H, as is the convention. This indicates that
although God essentially is all power for the creation of variety, he is also
humble, of which that characteristic calls for even more glorifying, for we have
an entity much more powerful than ourselves who is actually humble,
something that is very hard to come by.