The Windhover

The windhover symbolizes God's power. The central symbol of the poem, the windhover and its stunning movements paralyze and entice the speaker, ultimately leading him to meditate on God as the creator of beautiful creatures. That this particular bird can both hover in stillness in the air and swoop down suddenly to catch its prey underscores the speaker's awe over God's ability to create such complex and logic-defying beings on earth.

Chevalier

The chevalier, or chivalrous knight, the speaker addresses in the sestet symbolizes the poetic conflation of the erotic and spiritual modes. Here, the speaker is addressing God, but by calling Him "my Chevalier," he imbues the address with an intimate and romantic tone (11). This mingling of earthly eroticism and spirituality was a common convention of English poetry, one exemplified by poets like George Herbert, to whom Hopkins alludes later in the poem.