When sunlight filters through tree branches, it creates a magical display that has inspired poets for centuries.
Gerard Manley Hopkins was particularly moved by these natural light shows, and he created special words to capture exactly what he saw in the woods.
Picture yourself walking through a forest on a sunny day. Look up, and you’ll see rays of light breaking through gaps in the leaves, creating bright spots that dance on the ground as the branches sway.
Hopkins called this effect “shivelight” – imagine cutting a pie into thin slices, but instead of pie, it’s beams of sunlight slicing through the canopy above.
Where there’s light, there’s also shadow, and Hopkins was just as fascinated by the dark patterns that trees cast on the forest floor.
He called these criss-crossing shadows “shadowtackle,” comparing them to the ropes and rigging you might see on an old sailing ship.
These shadows weave together, creating intricate patterns that shift and change throughout the day.
Hopkins used these words in his poem about nature’s constant change, “That Nature is a Heraclitean Fire and of the comfort of the Resurrection.”
By creating these new words, he helped readers see the forest through his eyes – not just as a place of trees and leaves, but as a living light show where brightness and darkness play together in an endless dance.
The poet’s special talent was noticing these small details in nature and finding exactly the right words to help others see them too.
Through his creative use of language, he transformed everyday scenes into something extraordinary, helping us appreciate the simple beauty of sunlight playing in the trees.