Analysis of Psalm 101
Isaac Watts 1674 (Southampton, Hampshire) – 1748 (Stoke Newington, Middlesex)
The magistrate's Psalm.
Mercy and judgment are my song;
And since they both to thee belong,
My gracious God, my righteous King,
To thee my songs and vows I bring.
If I am raised to bear the sword,
I'll take my counsels from thy word;
Thy justice and thy heav'nly grace
Shall be the pattern of my ways.
Let wisdom all my actions guide,
And let my God with me reside;
No wicked thing shall dwell with me
Which may provoke thy jealousy.
No sons of slander, rage, and strife
Shall be companions of my life;
The haughty look, the heart of pride,
Within my doors shall ne'er abide.
[I'll search the land, and raise the just
To posts of honor, wealth, and trust;
The men that work thy holy will
Shall be my friends and fav'rites still.]
In vain shall sinners hope to rise
By flatt'ring or malicious lies;
And while the innocent I guard,
The bold offender sha'n't be spared.
The impious crew, that factious band,
Shall hide their heads or quit the land;
And all that break the public rest,
Where I have power, shall be suppressed.
Scheme | X AABB XXXX CCDD EECC FFGG HHXX IIJJ |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 011 10010111 01111101 11011101 11110111 11111101 11110111 1100111 11010111 11011101 01111101 11011111 11011100 11110101 11010111 01010111 01111101 11010101 11110101 01111101 1111011 01110111 11110101 01010011 0101011111 00101111 11111101 01110101 111101101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,002 |
Words | 193 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 29 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 99 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 24 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:00 min read
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