In the poem "Pied Beauty," the theme of God and his creations or nature is manifested throughout. It is a hymn that praises God for all of the colorful and diverse things in nature. The poem opens with an offering, "Glory be to God for dappled things." It then continues in the next five lines giving examples of which things he means to include under the subject of "dappled." The definition of the word dappled is spotted or dotted and in this poem relates to the earth or nature. The poet includes the patterned white and blue colors of the sky, the "brinded" or streaked hide of a cow, and the patches of contrasting color on a trout. The chestnuts offer a more complex image that is compared to the coals in a fire, black on the outside and glowing within. When chestnuts fall, they reveal their meaty insides normally concealed by their hard shell. Next, the wings of finches are multicolored, as is like a patchwork of farmland in which sections look different according to whether they are planted and green or freshly plowed. The final example is of the "trades" and activities of man, with their rich diversity of materials and equipment.
             In the final five lines, the poem gives characteristics or qualities of the examples earlier. It becomes an apology for the things that are negative or "strange;" things that might not normally be valued or thought beautiful. Ultimately, they are all creations of God and the poem ends by saying "praise him."
             The poem is a hymn of creation and could be applied in a literal sense as a message to the world. God is the creator of all things both good and ugly and we must recognize His variety and creative power in the natural world and then thank him for the diversity. The world and life itself would be mastered easily if we didn't have diversity or choices making our life a color wheel or "pie" beautiful.
             ...