Reflections on The Hound of Heaven

In Rick’s parish blog article entitled Christianity the Answer,
he wrote “The key is Grace. It begins and ends with God.” Rick concluded with a line from the famous hymn Amazing Grace
“T’was Grace that brought us safe this far. And grace will lead us home.”
After reading this article, I began thinking of a poem called “The Hound of Heaven” by Francis Thompson.

During my college years as a student, I took an English poetry course and this poem impressed me. Therefore, I decided to investigate the life of Francis Thompson by searching The Internet for this article. I found his personal pain reflected in this masterpiece of a poem. 
Thompson was born in 1859 and reared as a Roman Catholic.
While attending college, he excelled in the humanities and poetry; however, he never completed his priestly formation and soon fell into a difficult life style.

Next, he went to medical school at his father’s strong request but he was not interested in his studies and failed his exams. Francis then became addicted to opium and for many years was a penniless addict on the streets of London as he struggled to make a living as a poet.

Eventually he met a Christian couple who were impressed with his writing. They gave him a place to live as well as made efforts to get his poetry recognized. Because of his opium addiction, Thompson was in poor health and  died of tuberculosis at the age of 47, just as his poetry and essays were gaining recognition.

"The Hound of Heaven" is one of the most beautiful and insightful poems ever written of a deviant, depraved man running from God who is personified as the Hound of heaven. Thompson wrote this poem with a skillful and brilliant use of language. The Hound in the poem is the Lord who continually seeks the writer even though the writer keeps running from Him. 

In the British sport of foxhunting, the mounted riders chase the fox with a pack of hounds. They follow and observe the hounds as they hunt the quarry. Hounds are deliberate in the chase. In his poem The Hound of Heaven, the Catholic poet Francis Thompson develops the theme of God's love ever in pursuit of man who tries to find consolation elsewhere. In his mad flight "From those strong Feet that followed”, the poet seeks refuge everywhere.
The poem became famous and was the source of much of Thompson's posthumous reputation. 
 It is not, however, a poem that most people cannot read without some background...Do not be dis­suaded from reading it.

The poem's name is strange. It startles one at first. It is so bold, so new, so fearless. It does not attract, rather the reverse. But when one reads the poem this strangeness disappears. The meaning is understood. As the hound follows the hare, never ceasing in its running, ever drawing nearer in the chase, with unhurrying and imperturbed pace, so does God follow the fleeing soul by His Divine grace. And though in sin or in human love, away from God it seeks to hide itself, Divine grace follows after, unwearyingly follows ever after, till the soul feels its pressure forcing it to turn to Him alone in that never ending pursuit.

I will not quote the whole poem because it is too long, but it is very easily available online, here is the first verse in full, however:

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes, I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,

From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat—and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet—
"All things betray thee, who betrayest Me."

The Hound of Heaven is written in a style of prose of the late 1800’s and therefore it is a bit difficult to follow for modern readers.
I found an effective dramatized modern translation on You Tube:
Click on this link below
The Hound of Heaven: A Modern Adaptation

In conclusion,
Do you hear the footsteps of the LORD close on your heals?
Don’t run from Him.
Just turn and welcome Him and surrender.