As Kingfishers catch fire

Gerard Manley Hopkins: As Kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame'

AS kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies dráw fláme;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell’s
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves—goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying Whát I do is me: for that I came.

Í say móre: the just man justices;
Kéeps gráce: thát keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God’s eye what in God’s eye he is—
Chríst—for Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men’s faces.


This poem is kind of tricky to understand at first. I for sure didn't understand it until i had it explained to me. But what it's saying is, just as kingfishers (which are a type of bird) catch fire (the color of the birds when the light hits them is what he's referring to as in 'catch fire') and just as dragonflies draw flame, (how the light plays on their wings) they are different but both beautiful. Each stone has it's own sound, each string on a bow, an instrument as it's own unique sound. 'Each mortal thing does one thing and the same'.
We are all different but then the second stanza is where the meaning comes together. For we all 'act in God's eye what in God's eye he is- which is- Christ. And i think it's so perfect how he describes how we are all children of God. 'For Christ plays in ten thousand places, lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his to the Father through the features of men's faces.'
My seminary teacher showed us this poem and I just loved it. It's so interestingly written, hard to understand but once you get the concept it's so gorgeous. The language is beautiful.