Analysis of Hymn 31 part 2

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



The Christian's hidden life.

O happy soul that lives on high
While men lie grov'lling here
His hopes are fixed above the sky,
And faith forbids his fear.

His conscience knows no secret stings,
While peace and joy combine
To form a life whose holy springs
Are hidden and divine.

He waits in secret on his God,
His God in secret sees;
Let earth be all in arms abroad,
He dwells in heav'nly peace.

His pleasures rise from things unseen,
Beyond this world and time;
Where neither eyes nor ears have been,
Nor thoughts of sinners climb.

He wants no pomp nor royal throne
To raise his figure here;
Content and pleased to live unknown,
Till Christ, his life, appear.

He looks to heav'n's eternal hill
To meet that glorious day;
But patient waits his Savior's will
To fetch his soul away.


Scheme X ABAC DEDE XXXX XFXF GBGC HIHI
Poetic Form
Metre 01101 11011111 11111 11110101 010111 11011101 110110 11011101 110001 11010111 110101 11110101 11011 11011101 011101 11011111 111101 11111101 111101 10011101 111101 11110101 1111001 11011101 111101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 774
Words 147
Sentences 10
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 25
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 88
Words per stanza (avg) 20
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

45 sec read
110

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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