Analysis of Hymn 21

Isaac Watts 1674 (Southampton, Hampshire) – 1748 (Stoke Newington, Middlesex)



A vision of the kingdom of Christ among men.

Lo! what a glorious sight appears
To our believing eyes!
The earth and sea are passed away,
And the old rolling skies.

From the third heav'n, where God resides,
That holy, happy place,
The new Jerusalem comes down,
Adorned with shining grace.

Attending angels shout for joy,
And the bright armies sing-
"Mortals, behold the sacred seat
Of your descending King.

"The God of glory down to men
Removes his blest abode;
Men, the dear objects of his grace,
And he the loving God.

"His own soft hand shall wipe the tears
From every weeping eye,
And pains, and groans, and griefs, and fears,
And death itself, shall die."

How long, dear Savior! O how long
Shall this bright hour delay?
Fly swifter round, ye wheels of time,
And bring the welcome day.


Scheme A BCDC XEXE XFXF AXEX XGBG XDXD
Poetic Form
Metre 010101011011 110100101 1100101 01011101 001101 10111101 110101 01010011 011101 01010111 001101 10010101 110101 01110111 011101 10110111 010101 11111101 1100101 01010101 010111 11110111 1111001 11011111 010101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 785
Words 148
Sentences 14
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 25
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 87
Words per stanza (avg) 20
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

44 sec read
85

Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts was an English Christian minister (Congregational), hymn writer, theologian, and logician. He was a prolific and popular hymn writer and is credited with some 750 hymns. He is recognized as the "Godfather of English Hymnody"; many of his hymns remain in use today and have been translated into numerous languages. more…

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