Analysis of O Earth, Sufficing All our Needs



O earth, sufficing all our needs, O you
    With room for body and for spirit too,
      How patient while your children vex their souls
    Devising alien heavens beyond your blue!
    Dear dwelling of the immortal and unseen,
    How obstinate in my blindness have I been,
      Not comprehending what your tender calls,
    Veiled promises and reassurance, mean.
    Not far and cold the way that they have gone
  Who through your sundering darkness have withdrawn;
    Almost within our hand-reach they remain
  Who pass beyond the sequence of the dawn.

Not far and strange the Heaven, but very near,
  Your children's hearts unknowingly hold dear.
    At times we almost catch the door swung wide.
  An unforgotten voice almost we hear.

I am the heir of Heaven -- and you are just.
  You, you alone I know -- and you I trust.
    I have sought God beyond His farthest star --  
  But here I find Him, in your quickening dust.


Scheme AAXABXXBCCXC DDXX EEXE
Poetic Form Tetractys  (20%)
Etheree  (20%)
Metre 111110111 1111001101 1101110111 010100100111 11010010001 11000110111 101011101 110000101 1101011111 111110101 1011011101 1101010101 11010101101 1101010011 111110111 111111 11011100111 1101110111 1111011101 11111011001
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 941
Words 158
Sentences 10
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 12, 4, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 228
Words per stanza (avg) 52
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

47 sec read
124

Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts

Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts (January 10, 1860 – November 26, 1943) was a Canadian poet and prose writer. He was one of the first Canadian authors to be internationally known. more…

All Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts poems | Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts Books

1 fan

Discuss this Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "O Earth, Sufficing All our Needs" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/35056/o-earth%2C-sufficing-all-our-needs>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    18
    hours
    25
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Roald Dahl wrote: "The animal I really dig, above all others is the..."
    A horse
    B cat
    C dog
    D pig