Analysis of A Dialogue
George Herbert 1593 (Montgomery) – 1633 (Bemerton)
Man. SWEETEST Saviour, if my soul
Were but worth the having,
Quickly should I then control
Any thought of waving.
But when all my care and pains
Cannot give the name of gains
To Thy wretch so full of stains,
What delight or hope remains?
Saviour. What, child, is the balance thine,
Thine the poise and measure?
If I say, 'Thou shalt be Mine,'
Finger not My treasure.
What the gains in having thee
Do amount to, only He
Who for man was sold can see;
That transferr'd th' accounts to Me.
Man. But as I can see no merit
Leading to this favour,
So the way to fit me for it
Is beyond my savour.
As the reason, then, is Thine,
So the way is none of mine;
I disclaim the whole design;
Sin disclaims and I resign.
Saviour. That is all: if that I could
Get without repining;
And My clay, My creature, would
Follow My resigning;
That as I did freely part
With My glory and desert,
Left all joys to feel all smart----
Man. Ah, no more! Thou break'st my heart!
Scheme | ABABCCCC DEDEFFFF XEXEDDDD GBGBHXH H |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101111 011010 1011101 101110 1111101 1010111 1111111 1011101 11110101 101010 1111111 101110 1010101 1011101 1111111 101110111 111111110 10111 10111111 10111 1010111 1011111 1010101 1010101 11111111 1011 0111101 101010 1111101 1110010 1111111 111111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 980 |
Words | 188 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 7, 1 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 22 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 144 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 37 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 56 sec read
- 162 Views
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"A Dialogue" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/15327/a-dialogue>.
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