hell-rook

‘Squander the hell-rook ranks sally to molest him’ means ‘Scatter the ranks that sally to molest him’: but since the words squander and sally occupy similar positions in the two sections of the verse, and are enforced by a similar accentuation, the second verb deprived of its pronoun will follow the first and appear as an imperative; and there is nothing to prevent its being so taken but the contradiction that it makes in the meaning; whereas the grammar should expose and enforce the meaning, not have to be determined by the meaning.

Editor’s Preface to Notes 1918

'Squander the hell-rook ranks sally to molest him' means 'Scatter the ranks that sally to molest him': but since the words _squander_ and _sally_ occupy similar positions in the two sections of the verse, and are enforced by a similar accentuation, the second verb deprived of its pronoun will follow the first and appear as an imperative; and there is nothing to prevent its being so taken but the contradiction that it makes in the meaning; whereas the grammar should expose and enforce the meaning, not have to be determined by the meaning.

Poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins Now First Published Gerard Manley Hopkins 1866