I caught this morning morning's minion, king- / dom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon.
-- Speaker (Lines 1 – 2)

Importance: These are the opening lines of the poem. They introduce the speaker's encounter by using a series of epithets for the bird that help suggest the majesty of its presence. These lines also showcase how Hopkins makes up and often combines words like "dapple-dawn-drawn" as an expression of emotion that is not necessarily logically sound. This style will continue throughout the poem, underscoring the speaker's overwhelmed feeling at the presence of God in nature.

in his riding / Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding / High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing / In his ecstasy!
-- Speaker (Lines 2 – 5)

Importance: These lines describe the movement of the bird as it hovers in the air. Windhovers, or kestrals, have the ability to hover in midair while searching for prey, and this image gives the speaker pause...