Analysis of Sin

George Herbert 1593 (Montgomery) – 1633 (Bemerton)



Lord, with what care hast Thou begirt us round!
Parents first season us; then schoolmasters
Deliver us to laws;—they send us bound
To rules of reason, holy messengers,
Pulpits and Sundays, sorrow dogging sin,
Afflictions sorted, anguish of all sizes,
Fine nets and stratagems to catch us in,
Bibles laid open, millions of surprises,
Blessings beforehand, ties of gratefulness,
The sound of glory ringing in our ears;
Without, our shame; within, our consciences;
Angels and grace, eternal hopes and fears:
Yet all these fences and their whole array
One cunning bosom-sin blows quite away.


Scheme ABABCBCBBBBBDD
Poetic Form
Metre 111111111 10110111 0101111111 1111010100 100110101 01010101110 1101001110 10110101010 1001111 01110100101 011010110100 1001010101 1111001101 1101011101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 584
Words 97
Sentences 3
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 469
Words per stanza (avg) 94
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 24, 2023

29 sec read
81

George Herbert

The Very Reverend Honourable George Herbert was an Anglican priest. more…

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