The Windhover

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844 - 1889)

"Windhover" is another name for the common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). The name refers to the bird's ability to hover in midair while hunting prey. In the poem, the narrator admires the bird as it hovers in the air, suggesting that it controls the wind as a man may control a horse. The bird then suddenly swoops downwards and "rebuffed the big wind". The bird can be viewed as a metaphor for Christ or of divine epiphany.

Hopkins called "The Windhover" "the best thing [he] ever wrote". It commonly appears in anthologies and has lent itself to many interpretations. - Summary by Wikipedia

Genre(s): Multi-version (Weekly and Fortnightly poetry)

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 The Windhover - Read by AF Anne Fletcher
00:01:43
Play 02 The Windhover - Read by BK Bruce Kachuk
00:01:48
Play 03 The Windhover - Read by DL David Lawrence
00:01:27
Play 04 The Windhover - Read by ED Eva Davis
00:01:46
Play 05 The Windhover - Read by FS fshort
00:01:31
Play 06 The Windhover - Read by GG Greg Giordano
00:01:34
Play 07 The Windhover - Read by KB KyoBlanchett
00:01:29
Play 08 The Windhover - Read by LAH Lee Ann Howlett
00:01:38
Play 09 The Windhover - Read by SWS Scotty Smith
00:01:29
Play 10 The Windhover - Read by TA Tony Addison
00:01:25
Play 11 The Windhover - Read by TP Tomas Peter
00:01:38