Vocabulary in The Windhover

A beloved favorite or darling — here used as a term of honor, not servitude, suggesting the falcon is the most cherished creature of the morning.

The crown prince of France — used here as a royal title to cast the falcon as the heir and champion of the morning sky, the noblest creature in its realm.

A compound coinage meaning drawn out into the dappled, spotted light of dawn — the falcon is lured forth by, and painted against, the mottled colors of early morning.

Gliding or sailing smoothly on a current — as a ship rides the waves, the falcon rides the air, moving with effortless control rather than active flapping.

To check or guide with reins as a rider controls a horse — here the falcon steers and masters the wind as though holding it on a bridle.

Rippling or folding in smooth curves — describing the way the falcon's wing bends and undulates gracefully as it turns through the air.

A sweeping, powerful rush of movement — used here as a noun to capture the bold, forceful energy of the bird's flight rather than a throw.

The act or fact of achieving — Hopkins uses it as a noun (not a verb) to name the mastery itself, the sheer accomplishment embodied in the bird's flight.

Courage and strength in action — here applied to the falcon's bold, vigorous mastery of the air, giving its physical prowess a moral and heroic quality.

To clasp together or collapse inward under pressure — at the poem's volta it means all the falcon's qualities suddenly concentrate and ignite into a single overwhelming burst of beauty.

Raw, purely physical, and instinctual — describing a beauty that belongs to the animal body and natural force rather than to thought or art.

A compound describing embers that look cold, grey-blue, and lifeless on the outside — the bleakness makes the hidden fire within all the more startling when it is revealed.

To wound or chafe by rubbing — the embers scrape and injure themselves as they fall apart, and that very breaking open releases their hidden brilliance.

To cut open with a deep slash — the falling embers split themselves wide, and the wound reveals a vivid gold-and-crimson glow hidden inside the dull exterior.

A compound color blending gold and bright scarlet-red — describing the brilliant, fiery color that blazes out of the broken embers, symbolizing hidden glory made visible through sacrifice.