Analysis of Joy in Heaven
Henry Clay Work 1832 (Middletown, Connecticut) – 1884 (Hartford, Connecticut)
Sister spirit, listen!
Methinks I hear a song,
Resounding strangely, sadly,
These peaceful plains along.
'Tis like those lays we sang in earthly days,
When we trod our pilgrimage of pain;
And earthlike are those values
Which chant the solemn strain:
CHORUS OF MORTALS
Low in the dust before Thee,
Great King of Kings, we fall!
Least of the host which adore Thee,
Do not despise our call!
From the paths of right,
We have wander'd, we have wander'd,
We have all gone astray;
In thy holy sight,
We are guilty, we are guilty --
We have all gone astray;
Yet hear us! hear us! hear us,
And cast us not away.
CHORUS OF ANGELS
Children of Earth! your pray'r is heard in Heaven,
Where Mercy heeds the softest whisper'd moan:
Ransom'd, arise! your sins are all forgiven,
Your Father saith who sitteth on the Throne:
And it is his gracious bidding:
"Bring forth the robes!" --
his heart of love was yearning
To greet repentant sons far away.
Lost once, but found!
We welcome their returning!
There's joy in Heav'n today!
There's joy in Heav'n today!
Sister spirit, yonder,
By that celestial gate,
What throngs of weary pilgrims,
In supplication wait.
They know and yet how fondly those are met,
Who at last from wandering ways draw nigh --
They know not yet how boundless
His love to whom they cry:
CHORUS OF MORTALS
No place claim we with the Holy,
Thronging thy blissfull halls;
Grant us a refuge lowly,
Graciously near these walls.
There on bended knees,
Tho' unworthy, most unworthy,
We will worship and pray;
Oh, hear us! hear us! hear us,
And cast us not away.
CHORUS OF ANGELS
Children of Earth! no more, in sadness bended,
You supplicate a distant Throne of Grace:
Ransom'd, arise! your days of prayer are ended --
You meet your waiting Father face to face:
For he sendeth heralds saying:
"Unfold the gates! -- with gladness come before us,
And to the royal seats to my guests convey."
Angels! begin the neverending chorus!
There's joy in Heav'n today!
There's joy in Heav'n today!
And I heard, and I heard
as it were the voice of a great multitude,
and the voice of many waters,
and the voice of mighty thunderings,
say ---- - ing;
Glory to God! Glory to God!
Glory to God in the highest!
He gathers his wanderers home
We welcome the last arrived one!
Oh, bles-sed employ!
our infinite joy (our infinte joy)
Is begun!
Now will we sing to Thee
(to Thee) (to Thee) now will we sing,
Our Father, our Redeemer and our King,
New songs (our sweetest songs)
of praise (our purest praise)
Our choicest, noblest, most triumphant lays,
For ev - (-er, ever) -er
more (For ever more)
For ev - (-er, ever) -er more.
Praise ye the Lord
For ev - (-er, ever) -er more.
Scheme | abcb de xe F cgcghiJhcJkJ F alalmxmjxmJJ noxo xp kp F cqcqxcjkJ F xrxrmkjkJJ ixxdm xx xassa cmmxddntTxT |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 101010 11101 0101010 110101 1111110101 1111010011 011110 110101 10110 1001011 111111 11011011 1101101 10111 11101110 111101 01101 11101110 111101 1111111 011101 10110 101111111010 1101010101 1011111010 110111101 01111010 1101 1111110 110101101 1111 1101010 110101 110101 101010 110101 1111010 011 1101110111 1111100111 1111110 111111 10110 11111010 1111 1101010 100111 11101 10101010 111001 1111111 011101 10110 10111101010 11010111 1011111110 1111010111 1111010 0101111011 01010111101 10010110 110101 110101 011011 1100110110 00111010 0011101 11 10111011 10110010 11011001 11001011 11101 1010011011 101 111111 11111111 10101010101 1110101 1110101 10101010101 110100 11101 1101001 1101 1101001 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,680 |
Words | 504 |
Sentences | 37 |
Stanzas | 18 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 2, 2, 1, 12, 1, 12, 4, 2, 2, 1, 9, 1, 10, 5, 2, 5, 11 |
Lines Amount | 86 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 112 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 27 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 14, 2023
- 2:34 min read
- 134 Views
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"Joy in Heaven" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/17267/joy-in-heaven>.
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