Balaam's Wish
John Newton 1725 (Wapping, London) – 1807 (London)
How blest the righteous are
When they resign their breath!
No wonder Balaam wished to share
In such a happy death.
Oh! let me die, said he,
The death the righteous do;
When life is ended let me be
Found with the faithful few.
The force of truth how great!
When enemies confess,
None but the righteous whom they hate,
A solid hope possess.
But Balaam's wish was vain,
His heart was insincere;
He thirsted for unrighteous gain,
And sought a portion here.
He seemed the Lord to know,
And to offend him loth;
But Mammon proved his overthrow,
For none can serve them both.
May you, my friends, and I,
Warning from hence receive;
If like the righteous we would die,
To choose the life they live.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 39 sec read
- 65 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | XAXA BCBC DEDE FXFX GXGX HXHX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 679 |
Words | 130 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
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"Balaam's Wish" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/23923/balaam's-wish>.
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