Analysis of Praise And Prayer

Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1828 (London) – 1882 (Birchington-on-Sea)



DOUBT spake no word in me as there I kneeled.
Loathing, I could not praise: I could not thank
God for the cup of evil that I drank:
I dared not cry upon His strength to shield
My soul from weapons it was bent to wield
Itself against itself. And so I sank
Into the furnished phrases smooth and blank
Which we all learn in childhood,—and did yield
A barren prayer for life. My voice might mix
With hers, but mingled not. Hers was a full
Grand burst of music, which the crownèd Seven
Must have leaned sideways from their seats to fix
In their calm minds. The seraph—songs fell dull
Doubtless, when heard again, throughout all heaven.


Scheme ABBAABBACDECFE
Poetic Form
Metre 1111011111 1011111111 1101110111 1111011111 1111011111 0101010111 0101010101 111101011 0101111111 1011010101 11110101110 111111111 011101111 10110101110
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 643
Words 121
Sentences 7
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 496
Words per stanza (avg) 118
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
31

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Dante Gabriel Rossetti was an English poet, illustrator, painter and translator. more…

All Dante Gabriel Rossetti poems | Dante Gabriel Rossetti Books

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