Analysis of The World
George Herbert 1593 (Montgomery) – 1633 (Bemerton)
Love built a stately house, where Fortune came,
And spinning fancies, she was heard to say
That her fine cobwebs did support the frame,
Whereas they were supported by the same;
But Wisdom quickly swept them all away.
The Pleasure came, who, liking not the fashion,
Began to make balconies, terraces,
Till she had weakened all by alteration;
But reverend laws, and many a proclomation
Reforméd all at length with menaces.
Then entered Sin, and with that sycamore
Whose leaves first sheltered man from drought and dew,
Working and winding slily evermore,
The inward walls and summers cleft and tore;
But Grace shored these, and cut that as it grew.
Then Sin combined with death in a firm band,
To raze the building to the very floor;
Which they effected,--none could them withstand;
But Love and Grace took Glory by the hand,
And built a braver palace than before.
Scheme | ABAAB CXCCX DEDDE FDFFD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) Etheree (20%) |
Metre | 1101011101 0101011111 101110101 0110010101 1101011101 01011101010 0111100100 1111011010 1100101001 0111111100 110101110 1111011101 10010110 0101010101 1111011111 1101110011 1101010101 1101011101 1101110101 0101010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 852 |
Words | 152 |
Sentences | 5 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 5, 5 |
Lines Amount | 20 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 171 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 37 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 21, 2023
- 45 sec read
- 94 Views
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"The World" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/15408/the-world>.
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