The Hound of Heaven
One of the most haunting poems in the English language, 'The Hound of Heaven' pursues the reader like its subject pursues the soul. Francis Thompson, a Victorian poet who wandered London's streets in poverty and opium haze, gave voice to an ancient terror: that divine love will find you no matter how fiercely you run. The poem's speaker flees through the labyrinth of his own heart, hiding in the arms of lovers, in the beauty of nature, in the noise of the world. But the hound follows. The imagery is unforgettable: terrible and tender, a great grey God-breast of divine pursuit that chases the fleeing soul across fields and cities and the chambers of the mind. Thompson's language burns with a desperate beauty, each line带货ing the weight of someone who knew both the pull of heaven and the gravity of his own fall. The poem asks the question every spiritual person must face: when love pursues you with relentless feet, will you let yourself be caught?
Editions
Link to this book
Add a free, dofollow link to Lex on your blog, forum, syllabus, or reading list.
<a href="https://lex-books.com/book/the-hound-of-heaven-0b75ea21-e9fe-4062-9d6b-8b2df5cf2ebb"><img src="https://lex-books.com/badges/read-on-lex.svg" alt="Read The Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson free on Lex" width="160" height="40"></a>[](https://lex-books.com/book/the-hound-of-heaven-0b75ea21-e9fe-4062-9d6b-8b2df5cf2ebb)[url=https://lex-books.com/book/the-hound-of-heaven-0b75ea21-e9fe-4062-9d6b-8b2df5cf2ebb][img]https://lex-books.com/badges/read-on-lex.svg[/img][/url]Read The Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson free on Lex: https://lex-books.com/book/the-hound-of-heaven-0b75ea21-e9fe-4062-9d6b-8b2df5cf2ebbCite this book
Reading this edition for a paper or guide? Copy a citation.
Thompson, Francis. The Hound of Heaven. Lex, lex-books.com/book/the-hound-of-heaven-0b75ea21-e9fe-4062-9d6b-8b2df5cf2ebb.Thompson, F. (n.d.). The Hound of Heaven. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-hound-of-heaven-0b75ea21-e9fe-4062-9d6b-8b2df5cf2ebbThompson, Francis. The Hound of Heaven. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-hound-of-heaven-0b75ea21-e9fe-4062-9d6b-8b2df5cf2ebb.
