Analysis of Psalm 20
Isaac Watts 1674 (Southampton, Hampshire) – 1748 (Stoke Newington, Middlesex)
Prayer and hope of victory.
For a day of prayer in time of war.
Now may the God of power and grace
Attend his people's humble cry!
Jehovah hears when Isr'el prays,
And brings deliverance from on high.
The name of Jacob's God defends
Better than shields or brazen walls;
He from his sanctuary sends
Succor and strength, when Zion calls.
Well he remembers all our sighs,
His love exceeds our best deserts;
His love accepts the sacrifice
Of humble groans and broken hearts.
In his salvation is our hope,
And, in the name of Isr'el's God,
Our troops shall lift their banners up,
Our navies spread their flags abroad.
Some trust in horses trained for war,
And some of chariots make their boasts:
Our surest expectations are
From thee, the Lord of heav'nly hosts.
[O may the memory of thy name
Inspire our armies for the fight!
Our foes shall fall and die with shame,
Or quit the field with shameful flight.]
Now save us, Lord, from slavish fear,
Now let our hopes be firm and strong,
Till the salvation shall appear,
And joy and triumph raise the song.
Scheme | XA XBXB CDCD XXXX XXXX AEXE FGFG HIHI |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (30%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 1011100 101110111 110111001 01110101 0101111 010100111 01110101 10111101 1111001 10011101 110101101 110110110 1101010 11010101 010101101 0001111 101111101 101011101 11010111 011100111 10100101 1101111 110100111 011010101 101110111 11011101 11111101 111011101 10010101 01010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,026 |
Words | 193 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 2, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 30 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 103 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 24 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 59 sec read
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"Psalm 20" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/19720/psalm-20>.
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