to flame out

English translation: blaze out

12:53 Aug 14, 2007

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature

English term or phrase: to flame out

God's Grandeur by G.M. Hopkins

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge |&| shares man's smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs -
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

I have been reading a lot of pages about Hopkins and/or this poem, found two opposite meanings of "flame out" and cannot decide which one is correct :
1) to catch fire, to blaze
2) to extinguish, to disappear

What do you think?

Stéphanie Soudais KudoZ activity Questions: 1102 (none open) (95 closed without grading) Answers: 2852 France
Local time: 05:50

Selected answer:blaze out

Explanation:
I always thought it meant (in this poem) that the grandeur of God blazed out like the light from foil when it is shaken.

Selected response from:

Cervin
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:50

Grading comment

Thank you all!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

3 +3

blaze out

Cervin

4 +1

to flare forth (shine with sudden light)

Refugio

become so bright that no ...

Charlesp

Discussion entries: 6

Answers

8 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

blaze out

Explanation:
I always thought it meant (in this poem) that the grandeur of God blazed out like the light from foil when it is shaken.

Cervin
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:50
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Thank you all!

16 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

to flare forth (shine with sudden light)

Explanation:
I don't think the pronoun "it" refers to the world, but rather to God's grandeur, the nearest antecedent. (God, of course, would not be "it".) If so, then the meaning is clear: it will flame out, as solar flares do, not burn out.

Refugio
Local time: 20:50
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 120

2 hrs confidence:

become so bright that no ...

Explanation:
become so bright that no human can survive the brightness, the light

Charlesp
Sweden
Local time: 05:50
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

See also:

ProZ.com term search

Search millions of term translations

to flame out

English translation: blaze out

Answers

KudoZ™ translation help

Your current localization setting

Select a language

to flame out

English translation: blaze out

Answers

KudoZ™ translation help

You have native languages that can be verified

Your current localization setting

Select a language