Francis Thompson > Quotes

“The fairest things have fleetest end,
Their scent survives their close:
But the rose's scent is bitterness
To her who loved the rose.”
― Francis Thompson, Complete Poetical Works of Francis Thompson

“Summer set lip to earth's bosom bare, and left the flushed print in a poppy there.”
― Francis Thompson

“For we are born in other's pain, and perish in our own.”
― Francis Thompson

“A Corymbus for Autumn
How are the veins of thee, Autumn, laden?
Umbered juices,
And pulpèd oozes
Pappy out of the cherry-bruises,
Froth the veins of thee, wild, wild maiden.
With hair that musters
In globèd clusters,
In tumbling clusters, like swarthy grapes,
Round thy brow and thine ears o'ershaden;
With the burning darkness of eyes like pansies,
Like velvet pansies
Where through escapes
The splendid might of thy conflagrate fancies;
With robe gold-tawny not hiding the shapes
Of the feet whereunto it falleth down,
Thy naked feet unsandalled;
With robe gold-tawny that does not veil
Feet where the red
Is meshed in the brown,
Like a rubied sun in a Venice-sail.”
― Francis Thompson, Poems of Francis Thompson.

“Where is the land of Luthany,
Where is the tract of Elenore?
I am bound therefore.

'Pierce thy heart to find the key;
With thee take
Only what none else would keep;
Learn to dream when thou dost wake;
Learn to wake when thou dost sleep.
Learn to water joy with tears,
Learn from fears to vanquish fears;
To hope, for thou dar'st not despair;
Exult, for that thou dar'st not grieve;
Plough thou the rock until it bear;
Know, for thou else couldst not believe;
Lose, that the lost thou may'st receive;
Die, for none other way canst live.

'When earth and heave lay down their veil,
And that apocalypse turns thee pale;
When thy seeing blindeth thee
To what thy fellow-mortals see;
When their sight to thee is sightless;
Their living, death; their light, most lightless;
Search no more--
Pass the gates of Luthany,
Tread the region Elenore!'

Where is the land of Luthany?
And where the region Elenore?
I do faint therefore.

'When to the new eyes of thee
All things by immortal power,
Near or far,
Hiddenly
To each other linked are,
That thou canst not stir a flower
Without troubling of a star;
When thy song is shield and mirror
To the fair snake curled pain,
Where thou dar'st affront her terror
That on her thou may'st attain
Persean Conquest; seek no more,
O seek no more!
Pass the gates of Luthany,
Tread the region Elenore!”
― Francis Thompson

“I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years.
I fled Him down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind, and in the midst of tears
I hid from him, and under running laughter.”
― Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven

“My freshness is spending its wavering shower in the dust.”
― Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven

“All things by immortal power, near or far, hiddenly, to each other linked are, that thou canst not stir a flower, without troubling of a star.”
― Francis Thompson

“O hope, most futile of futilities!
Thine iron summons comes again,
O inevadible Pain!”
― Francis Thompson, Complete Poetical Works of Francis Thompson

“All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.”
― Francis Thompson

“Let us always remember that telescope and microscope in all the range of their discoveries have not uncovered the existence of anything greater than man himself. The most massive star of the Milky Way is not so wonderful as the smallest human child. Moreover man's present entourage of illimitable space and countless circling suns and planets cannot be said to have cost an omnipotent God more trouble, so to speak, than a universe a million times smaller.”
― Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven

“Yet ever and anon a trumpet sounds
From the hid battlements of Eternity”
― Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven

“And thou ― what needst with thy tribes' black tents
Who hast the red pavilion of my heart?”
― Francis Thompson, Complete Poetical Works of Francis Thompson

“A moral pursuit! What's that? What is God after?' "'He is after Thompson's love.”
― Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven

“On the rash lustihead of my young powers,
I shook the pillaring hours
And pulled my life down upon me; grimed with smears,
I stand amid the dust o' the mounded years-
My mangled youth lies dead beneath the heap.”
― Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven

“Nothing begins, and nothing ends,
That is not paid with moan,
For we are born in other's pain,
And perish in our own.”
― Francis Thompson

“No puedes zarandear una flor sin perturbar a una estrella.”
― Francis Thompson

“Every new revelation of God's power and wisdom which science unfolds serves only to restore a balance in our mind between God's power and God's love. The more astronomical the heavens become, the closer they bring God to us.”
― Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven

“But is not that a rather irreverent way for Thompson to be talking about God, calling Him a hound? What does he mean by comparing God to a hound?' "'Well, he means the pursuit of God.' "'Oh, I see, Thompson is pursuing God, is he?' "'Oh, no. He is rather running away from God.' "'Well, then, God is pursuing Thompson, is that it?' "'Yes, that's it.”
― Francis Thompson, The Hound of Heaven