Analysis of Rules And Lessons
Henry Vaughan 1621 (Brecknockshire) – 1695
When first thine eyes unveil, give thy soul leave
To do the like: our bodies but forerun
The spirit's duty. True hearts spread and heave
Unto their God, as flowers do to the sun.
Give Him thy first thoughts then; so shalt thou keep
Him company all day, and in Him sleep.
Yet never sleep the sun up: Prayer should
Dawn with the day. There are set awful hours
'Twixt Heaven and us. The manna was not good
After sunrising: far day sullies flowers.
Rise to prevent the sun: sleep doth sin's glut,
And Heaven's gate opens, when this world's shut.
Walk with thy fellow-creatures; note the hush
And whispers amongst them. There's not a spring
Or leaf but hath his morning hymn; each bush
And oak doth know
I AM
. Canst thou not sing?
O leave thy cares and follies! go this way,
And thou art sure to prosper all the day.
To heighten thy devotions, and keep low
All mutinous thoughts, what business e'er thou hast,
Observe God in his works; how fountains flow,
Birds sing, beasts feed, fish leap, and th' earth stands fast;
Above are restless motions, running lights,
Vast circling azure, giddy clouds, days, nights.
When seasons change, then lay before thine eyes
His wondrous method; mark the various scenes
In Heaven; hail, thunder, rainbows, snow, and ice,
Calms, tempests, light and darkness, by his means;
Thou canst not miss his praise; each tree, herb, flower,
Are shadows of his wisdom, and his power.
Scheme | ABABCC DEDEFF XGXBXG HH IJIJKK XLXLMM |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111011111 1101101011 0101011101 10111101101 1111111111 1100110011 110101111 11011111010 11001010111 10111110 1101011111 0101101111 1111010101 0100111101 1111110111 0111 11 1111 1111010111 0111110101 11011011 110011101011 0110111101 111111011111 0111010101 11001010111 1101110111 11010101001 0101101101 111010111 11111111110 1111100110 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,380 |
Words | 251 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 2, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 181 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 42 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:17 min read
- 106 Views
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"Rules And Lessons" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/18437/rules-and-lessons>.
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