Richard burton reads the haunting poem the hound of heaven by francis. By francis thompson 1890 i fled him, down the nights and down the days. The hound of heaven by francis thompson 1890 hound of. He pursues by his divine grace those upon whom he bestows his love. In the end the reader of the poem is less fascinated by the reasons and emotions of the one running away.
Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Francis thompson 18591907 the hound of heaven original. Thompson 18591907 lived a difficult life before he found hope in god. Contains a modern retelling of the hound of heaven story, full color illustrations, the original poem by francis thompson and more. Watch the trailer for hound of heaven, inspired by a. God, the hound of heaven catholic education resource center. Thompsons timeless classic the hound of heaven has touched the hearts and lives of countless readers ever since. Although i still prefer the original, i am glad that the author has included the modern adaption as i. Watch our video of the popular song the king of heaven wants us. Thousands have read the hound of heaven with tears, for it is the story of gods pursuit of all, who, like thompson, reject him, and try to flee from him. This is a modern adaptation of the poem the hound of heaven written by francis thompson. And even that cannot fully atone for his claimrank heresy for modern rationaliststhat a fullblooded version of orthodox christian belief sometimes appears to make complete sense. Now hear the incredible story behind the poem that has captured the hearts of minds of people around the world for more than 100 years. The hound of heaveni fled him down the nights and down the days i fled him down the arches of the years.
In the 1930s stalin ordered a purge of all bibles and all believers. This is a modern adaptation of the poem the hound of heaven written by francis thompson produced by emblem media llc. In his poem the hound of heaven, the catholic poet francis thompson develops the theme of gods love ever in pursuit of man who tries to. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. A modern adaptation of the poem, the hound of heaven, written by francis thompson. A modern adaptation hound of heaven the hound of heaven. The hound of heaven is a classic poem that has been compared to shakespeare and also has been called the greatest ode in the english language. Written in the 1870s by a former opium addict turned catholic named francis thompson, the hound of heaven could have been oneills spiritual autobiography. Bishop of pittsburg i i have read with interest and pleasure your study of frands tho. The hound of heaven a modern adaptation child of grace. Lewis is most famous for his childrens fantasy series, the chronicles of narnia, but by the time he had written them, he had already spent forty years becoming one of the last centurys most prolific letterwriters. Why, an english girl of the highest type is the best, the most beautiful, the bravest, and the brightest creature that heaven has. He asks are you really under the impression that english girls are so ridiculously demure.
The hound of heaven is perhaps one of the more profound poems written on the topic of gods pursuit of man. Order your copy today available on amazon in paperback and kindle formats. Analysis of the poem the hound of heaven 1167 words. This book actually contains two versions of the poem, the original and a modern adaptation. The hound of heaven an interpretation introductory essay to all who read the history of mankind with unsoiled eyes the one outstanding and out distancing fact is the insistent love of god. When jesus told his followers how much we all need gods love, i.
The hound of heaven is a poem on profound devotion and burning anguish. The hound of heaven by francis thompson free ebook. When i was young, i had no idea that there was such a terrifying concept as an allloving, everpervasive god who sought not intellectual precision or ritualistic elegance or even sheer human kindness, but who sought the elusive selfhonesty. The hound of heaven,max lucado read more about spiritual life growth, christian living, and faith. The story francis thompson tells in his classic poem the hound of heaven works in exactly this waystirring our hearts. Despite the depth and beauty of the poem, it is written in a vernacular. When jesus told his followers how much we all need gods love, it was not a theological treatise. My paraphrase of the hound of heaven i ran away from god. One of the most loved and possibly one of the more difficult christian poems to read and appreciate, the hound of heaven has been loved. He followed me peacefully and swiftly, yet unhurriedly. Chesterton considered thompson one of the great english poets, a shy. Kurosawa productions has given thr an exclusive sneak peek at the trailer for its upcoming short film, the hound of heaven, which is set to premiere at the 2014 raindance film festival on oct. You drove love from yourself, you who drove it from me.
What does the last line of francis thompsons poem the. This title was inspired the 182line poem by francis thompson 18591907, an english poet. In stavropol, russia, this order was carried out with vengeance. Despite the depth and beauty of the poem, it is written in a. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. The hound of heaven is written in a style of prose commensurate with that of the late 1800 s and therefore it is a bit difficult to follow for modern readers.
This contemporary version of the hound of heaven is just the thing for anyone that tries to understand the original version that is written in the kings english. I would recommend that christian schools get copies of it for students and do a comparative study of the original and this modern version as both. The hound of heaven and a young russian agnostic andrea wolfe, on staff with the comission office in raleigh, north carolina tells the following story. This is a modern adaptation of the poem the hound of heaven. The awakening of the domini canes, the dogs of god, meant that the hunt was up once more. Here is one of my favorite poems with annotations to help us reflect on it with more appreciation. The hound of heaven poem by sean wright poem hunter. The hound in the poem is the lord who continually seeks the writer even though the writer keeps running from him. A modern adaptation and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. With frantic poignancy the devotee in the poet seeks the deliberate speed and reduces himself into an withering haggard. Contains a modern retelling of the hound of heaven. That something or some one is out after the souls of men, no man who has understood his. A modern adaptation of thompsons hound of heaven teleia philia. In many ways the pictures alone tells the struggle of the soul.
Noted for the vivid imagery in his poems, thompson shares his own personal story in these poetic verses. The hound of heaven explained the hound of heaven is a 182line poem written by english poet francis thompson 18591907. The vagabond poet is a psychic traveler in the abstract realm of god, and god realization is his only concern. Thousands of bibles were confiscated, and multitudes of believers were sent to the gulags. This electronic version was created for free distribution by philip a.
The poem describes how god pursues us as sinners with patient, victorious, saving love paradoxically pictured as a blood hound hunts down a criminal, but here to save me. Reared catholic and educated in catholic schools, oneill had forsaken his parents faith in a disillusionment that spiraled down a back alley of reckless excess. He says his centurions training influenced him profoundly, inspiring a passion to tell lost stories to modern audiences. The hound of heaven is a 182line poem written by english poet francis thompson 18591907. This love was first shown in the building of this worldhome for man, so beautiful and so plural in its appeal to every sense of its rational lord. Greg is the producer on emblem medias production of the francis thompson story and an editor on the modern adaptation of the hound of heaven. The poem the hound of heaven by francis thompson is one of the most loved and powerful poems of english literature.
The poem became famous and was the source of much of thompsons posthumous reputation. In its entirety, it contains all of my attraction to the doctrines of grace. Eugene oneill could recite francis thompsons hound of heaven from memory, and j. The poem was immediately recognized as a masterpiece. The hound of heaven poem by francis thompson poem hunter. The hound of heaven 1 i fled him, down the nights and down the days. Chesterton describes the hound of heaven as the greatest religious poem of modern times and one of the greatest of all times. The hound of heaven by francis thompson read by tom o. The book is beautifully illustrated on quality paper. The hound of heaven still rings true for humans that. The hound of heaven by francis thompson read by tom obedlam. I fled the hound of heaven, and grace is a story of his pursuit of me, while i ran and hid from him. It was included in the oxford book of english mystical verse 1917.
The hound of heaven is now available on dvd featuring two short films, the francis thompson story, a documentary detailing the amazing story of the authors life, and a modern adaptation which is an updated, animated version of the poem for a modern audience. A contemporary translation of a timeless masterpiece by gordon macdonald, francis thompson online at alibris. The hound of heaven typifies an important characteristic of our god. Chesterton called it the greatest poem in modern english. This adaptation is based on an autobiographical poem written over a hundred years ago by francis thompson.
732 814 15 606 443 1032 1285 630 1372 964 444 1281 1148 217 1039 1498 913 411 20 815 924 1184 731 975 81 1431 1358 1318 328 464 783 866 782 162 420 133 966 446 73 907 880 116