Analysis of Psalm 51 part 1
Isaac Watts 1674 (Southampton, Hampshire) – 1748 (Stoke Newington, Middlesex)
A penitent pleading for pardon.
Show pity, Lord, O Lord, forgive,
Let a repenting rebel live:
Are not thy mercies large and free?
May not a sinner trust in thee?
My crimes are great, but not surpass
The power and glory of thy grace:
Great God, thy nature hath no bound,
So let thy pard'ning love be found.
O wash my soul from every sin,
And make my guilty conscience clean;
Here on my heart the burden lies,
And past offences pain my eyes.
My lips with shame my sins confess
Against thy law, against thy grace:
Lord, should thy judgment grow severe,
I am condemned, but thou art clear.
Should sudden vengeance seize my breath,
I must pronounce thee just in death;
And if my soul were sent to hell,
Thy righteous law approves it well.
Yet save a trembling sinner, Lord,
Whose hope, still hov'ring round thy word,
Would light on some sweet promise there,
Some sure support against despair.
Scheme | X XXAA XBCC XXDD XBEE FFGG XXHH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 010010110 11011101 10010101 11110101 11010101 11111101 010010111 11110111 1111111 111111001 01110101 11110101 011111 11111101 01110111 11110101 11011111 11010111 11011101 01110111 11010111 110100101 1111111 11111101 11010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 871 |
Words | 164 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 25 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 99 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 23 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 49 sec read
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"Psalm 51 part 1" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/19778/psalm-51-part-1>.
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