The tone is initially admiring and celebratory of nature but becomes despondent in lines 7-8, expressing concern that human actions could ruin its beauty. The final stanza adopts a pleading and anxious tone, appealing for nature's protection. The mood shifts from admiration in the early stanzas to concern in the last, contemplating a world without nature.

Key themes include natural wonder, celebrating God's creation and its preservation; wildness, valuing nature untouched by human influence; peace, living in harmony with nature; and the future, urging protection for generations. Other themes are depression and despair over potential loss, preservation of nature against industrialization, and appreciation of the natural environment, emphasizing its purifying effect.

The title 'Inversnaid' refers to a Scottish village on Loch Lomond, where the poem's stream is located. Naming the poem after this specific place highlights the setting's significance to the poem's themes and imagery. It invites readers to explore this lesser-known corner of the world and appreciate its unique beauty, serving as an invitation to contemplate nature's preservation.

The 'darksome burn' (dark brown stream) symbolizes vulnerable wilderness. 'Horseback Brown' suggests a deep, dark hue, possibly from mud during autumn rains. The stream's rush and roar are conveyed by alliteration and onomatopoeia, comparing its strength to a galloping horse. Hopkins invented 'roll rock' for the swift movement over stones. The stream then calms as it flows into a hollow (Coop) and forms a whirlpool with 'fleecy' foam, resembling sheep's wool.

The foam on the pool forms a 'windpuff bonnet' of 'fawn froth' (light brown, like a young deer), creating metaphorical images. However, a darker tone emerges as the pool's broth turns 'pitch black' and swirls hypnotically, like a 'witch's cauldron.' The hills 'frown' upon it, creating a gloomy atmosphere. Hopkins combines 'dwindle' and 'twitch' to create 'twindles,' capturing the water's movement, and uses onomatopoeia ('rounds and rounds') to enhance the ominous mood.

The focus shifts to the banks of the stream, 'dight' (sprinkled) and 'dappled' with dew. The stream flows at a calmer, leisurely pace, personified as walking. 'Digget' (sprinkled) comes from Lancashire dialect, and 'groins' refers to the hillsides. The repeated 'D' sound slows the pace, emphasizing the stream's graceful meanders through heath and fern. Lush vegetation like 'wary Heath packs,' 'flitches of Fern,' and a 'bead bonny Ash' with red berries (like a girl wearing a necklace) adds to the scenic charm.

The final stanza begins with a rhetorical question, 'What would the world be once bereft of wet and of wilderness?' emphasizing the importance of undisturbed nature. The word 'bereft' conveys the profound loss of wilderness, likened to the death of a loved one. The speaker's urgent plea, 'O let them be left,' is full of despair and desperation, stressing the need to protect nature, even 'weeds,' as they contribute to the environment's beauty. The poem concludes with the powerful cry, 'Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet,' an appeal for nature's enduring vitality and protection against human intervention.

The video asks if the poem is more relevant today than in 1881. A 'yes' answer could cite ongoing destruction of nature, global warming, and natural disasters. A 'no' answer could argue that the Industrial Revolution's negative impacts were apparent even in Hopkins's time, and the speaker's plea was relevant then too, highlighting a missed opportunity to prevent current environmental issues.

Gerald Manley Hopkins, born in 1844, was a deeply spiritual man and a Catholic priest who expressed his emotions through poetry. Despite his unique style, none of his poems were published during his lifetime. 'Inversnaid' celebrates God's glory through nature and is characterized by Hopkins's inventive language and use of sprung rhythm.

Written during the Industrial Revolution, 'Inversnaid' was inspired by a Scottish Highlands stream. It vividly describes the stream flowing over rocks, comparing froth to a hat, and then shifts to a gentler description of the landscape. Hopkins passionately advocates for nature's preservation amidst industrialization, praising the beauty of wild places and warning against their destruction. The poem uses Scottish words and is named after the village where Hopkins stayed.

The poem is divided into four quatrains, each with two rhyming couplets (AABB CCDD, etc.). The first three stanzas depict nature, while the last is a plea for preservation. Hopkins introduced 'sprung rhythm,' focusing on stressed syllables to mimic natural speech. Rhyming couplets are pairs of lines with matching end sounds, and a quatrain is a four-line verse forming a stanza.