"Felix Randal" is a sonnet written by the British poet and Jesuit priest Gerard Manley Hopkins in 1880 (though not published until 1918, after Hopkins's death). The speaker is a priest (generally taken to be Hopkins himself) who reflects on the death of a young man named Felix Randal, as well as on their priest-parishioner relationship in the latter's final days. The speaker provided spiritual comfort to Felix Randal as his life neared its end, and is deeply moved by the young man's passing. The speaker, however, doesn't dwell on death so much as paint a vivid picture of Felix Randal in the prime of his life—hard at work in his blacksmith's workshop. The poem, then, is somewhere between elegy and eulogy, both lamenting Felix Randal's death and celebrating his life. It was likely based on the real-life death of Felix Spencer, a young farrier (someone who makes and fits horseshoes) who died from tuberculosis at the age of 31.
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The Full Text of “Felix Randal”
1Felix Randal the farrier, O is he dead then? my duty all ended,
2Who have watched his mould of man, big-boned and hardy-handsome
3Pining, pining, till time when reason rambled in it, and some
4Fatal four disorders, fleshed there, all contended?
5Sickness broke him. Impatient, he cursed at first, but mended
6Being anointed and all; though a heavenlier heart began some
7Months earlier, since I had our sweet reprieve and ransom
8Tendered to him. Ah well, God rest him all road ever he offended!
9This seeing the sick endears them to us, us too it endears.
10My tongue had taught thee comfort, touch had quenched thy tears,
11Thy tears that touched my heart, child, Felix, poor Felix Randal;
12How far from then forethought of, all thy more boisterous years,
13When thou at the random grim forge, powerful amidst peers,
14Didst fettle for the great grey drayhorse his bright and battering sandal!
The Full Text of “Felix Randal”
1Felix Randal the farrier, O is he dead then? my duty all ended,
2Who have watched his mould of man, big-boned and hardy-handsome
3Pining, pining, till time when reason rambled in it, and some
4Fatal four disorders, fleshed there, all contended?
5Sickness broke him. Impatient, he cursed at first, but mended
6Being anointed and all; though a heavenlier heart began some
7Months earlier, since I had our sweet reprieve and ransom
8Tendered to him. Ah well, God rest him all road ever he offended!
9This seeing the sick endears them to us, us too it endears.
10My tongue had taught thee comfort, touch had quenched thy tears,
11Thy tears that touched my heart, child, Felix, poor Felix Randal;
12How far from then forethought of, all thy more boisterous years,
13When thou at the random grim forge, powerful amidst peers,
14Didst fettle for the great grey drayhorse his bright and battering sandal!
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“Felix Randal” Summary
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“Felix Randal” Themes
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Religious Healing and Comfort
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Life and Death
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Felix Randal”
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Line 1
Felix Randal the farrier, O is he dead then?
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Lines 1-2
my duty all ended,
Who have watched his mould of man, big-boned and hardy-handsome -
Lines 3-4
Pining, pining, till time when reason rambled in it, and some
Fatal four disorders, fleshed there, all contended? -
Lines 5-8
Sickness broke him. Impatient, he cursed at first, but mended
Being anointed and all; though a heavenlier heart began some
Months earlier, since I had our sweet reprieve and ransom
Tendered to him. -
Line 8
Ah well, God rest him all road ever he offended!
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Line 9
This seeing the sick endears them to us, us too it endears.
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Lines 10-11
My tongue had taught thee comfort, touch had quenched thy tears,
Thy tears that touched my heart, child, Felix, poor Felix Randal; -
Lines 12-14
How far from then forethought of, all thy more boisterous years,
When thou at the random grim forge, powerful amidst peers,
Didst fettle for the great grey drayhorse his bright and battering sandal!
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“Felix Randal” Symbols
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Horses and Horseshoes
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“Felix Randal” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
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Allusion
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Assonance
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Caesura
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Consonance
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Enjambment
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Metaphor
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Repetition
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Rhetorical Question
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“Felix Randal” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Felix Randal
- Farrier
- Who Have
- Mould
- Hardy-handsome
- Pining
- Rambled
- Four disorders
- Fleshed
- Contended
- Mended
- Anointed
- And all
- Reprieve
- Ransom
- Tendered
- All road
- Endears
- Thee
- Thy
- Forethought
- Boisterous
- Thou
- Random
- Grim
- Forge
- Amidst
- Peers
- Didst
- Fettle
- Drayhorse
- Battering
- Sandal
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Felix Randal”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Felix Randal” Speaker
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“Felix Randal” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Felix Randal”
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More “Felix Randal” Resources
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External Resources
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The Poet's Life and Work — A valuable resource on Hopkins from the Poetry Foundation.
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The Jesuits in Context — An informative lecture about what distinguishes the Jesuits from other branches of Catholicism.
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"Felix Randal" Explored — An interesting article on the poem from the newspaper The Guardian.
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A Sprung Rhythm Explainer — A short discussion of Hopkins's metrical innovations.
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Behind the Scenes With a Farrier — Watch what a day in the life of a farrier looks like.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins
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