Four Remarks on Time and Mystery in the Poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins and Lucian Blaga with Reference to Writings by Rudolph Otto and Mircea Eliade
Four Remarks on Time and Mystery in the Poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins and Lucian Blaga with Reference to Writings by Rudolph Otto and Mircea Eliade

Summary/Abstract: In this paper we present a reading of the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins and of Lucian Blaga within a framework derived from Das Heilige by Rudolf Otto and Le sacré et le profane by Mircea Eliade. Our reading leads us to formulate four remarks on time and mystery in the work of Hopkins and Blaga. We shall seek to show that in the poetry of Blaga, creation is upheld as being an expression or manifestation of mystery, rather than mystery being a consequence of mans' understanding, lack of understanding, or endeavour to better understand the world. Time in Blaga's poetry, we shall argue, is an uninterupted continuum that may be said to extend its scope to include time future. In the work of Hopkins, we shall seek to demonstrate that the mystery of creation is revealed to the poet at certain moments, and expressed in verse with elation. Time in Hopkins' world, we shall argue, exists in twin parallel calendars. One charts the cycle of revelation and despair. The second calendar is linear and represents a view of history according to which man has lost a certain metaphysical continence, this being due, in part at least, to his alienation from the earth.

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