Analysis of First Sunday After Trinity
John Keble 1792 (Fairford) – 1866 (Bournemouth)
Where is the land with milk and honey flowing,
The promise of our God, our fancy's theme?
Here over shattered walls dank weeds are growing,
And blood and fire have run in mingled stream;
Like oaks and cedars all around
The giant corses strew the ground,
And haughty Jericho's cloud-piercing wall
Lies where it sank at Joshua's trumpet call.
These are not scenes for pastoral dance at even,
For moonlight rovings in the fragrant glades,
Soft slumbers in the open eye of Heaven,
And all the listless joy of summer shades.
We in the midst of ruins live,
Which every hour dread warning give,
Nor may our household vine or fig-tree hide
The broken arches of old Canaan's pride.
Where is the sweet repose of hearts repenting,
The deep calm sky, the sunshine of the soul,
Now Heaven and earth are to our bliss consenting,
And all the Godhead joins to make us whole.
The triple crown of mercy now
Is ready for the suppliant's brow,
By the Almighty Three for ever planned,
And from behind the cloud held out by Jesus' hand.
"Now, Christians, hold your own--the land before ye
Is open--win your way, and take your rest."
So sounds our war-note; but our path of glory
By many a cloud is darkened and unblest:
And daily as we downward glide,
Life's ebbing stream on either side
Shows at each turn some mouldering hope or joy,
The Man seems following still the funeral of the Boy.
Open our eyes, Thou Sun of life and gladness,
That we may see that glorious world of Thine!
It shines for us in vain, while drooping sadness
Enfolds us here like mist: come Power benign,
Touch our chilled hearts with vernal smile,
Our wintry course do Thou beguile,
Nor by the wayside ruins let us mourn,
Who have th' eternal towers for our appointed bourne.
Scheme | ABABCCDD XEXEXXFF AGAGHHII JXJCFFKK ELXLMMNN |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 11011101010 01011011011 11010111110 01010110101 11010101 0101101 01011101 111111101 111111001110 111000101 1100101110 0101011101 10011101 1100101101 1110111111 010101111 11010111010 011101101 1100111101010 010111111 01011101 1101011 1001011101 010101111101 11011101011 1101110111 1110111101110 1100111001 01011101 11011101 111111111 01110010100101 10101111101 11111100111 11110111010 1111111001 110111101 101011101 110110111 1111010101100101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,766 |
Words | 315 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 271 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 63 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:36 min read
- 97 Views
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