15 JULY 2000, Page 27

What Hopkins meant

From Mr Richard Orders Sir: Bruce Anderson's casual reference to the initial words of the opening line of Ger- ard Manley Hopkins's great sonnet (Poli- tics, 10 June) is both a misquotation and a mis-interpretation.

Mr Anderson quotes 'No, worse there is none' interpreting this as a sort of 'things can only get better' type of statement. In fact, the reverse is the case. The correct quotation (and the positioning of the comma is crucial here) is `No worst, there is none' and it is a cry of absolute despair — there is no such thing as 'worst'; however desolate things are or may appear, they can always be more so. This bleak sentiment is made very clear by the anguish of the rest of the poem.