Analysis of Psalm 119 part 4

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



Instruction from scripture.

How shall the young secure their hearts,
And guard their lives from sin?
Thy word the choicest rules imparts
To keep the conscience clean.

When once it enters to the mind,
It spreads such light abroad,
The meanest souls instruction find,
And raise their thoughts to God.

'Tis like the sun, a heav'nly light,
That guides us all the day;
And through the dangers of the night,
A lamp to lead our way.

The men that keep thy law with care,
And meditate thy word,
Grow wiser than their teachers are,
And better know the Lord.

Thy precepts make me truly wise:
I hate the sinner's road;
I hate my own vain thoughts that rise,
But love thy law, my God.

[The starry heavens thy rule obey,
The earth maintains her place;
And these thy servants night and day
Thy skill and power express.

But still thy law and gospel, Lord,
Have lessons more divine;
Not earth stands firmer than thy word,
Nor stars so nobly shine.]

Thy word is everlasting truth,
How pure is every page!
That holy book shall guide our youth,
And well support our age.


Scheme X AXAX BXBC DEDE XFXG HXHC EXEX GIFI JKJK
Poetic Form
Metre 010110 11010111 011111 11010101 110101 11110101 111101 01010101 011111 1101011 111101 01010101 0111101 01111111 01011 11011101 010101 1111101 11011 11111111 111111 010101101 010101 01110101 1101001 11110101 110101 11110111 111101 1110101 1111001 110111101 0101101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,106
Words 214
Sentences 19
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 33
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 91
Words per stanza (avg) 21
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:04 min read
67

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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    What is the term for the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza.
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