Analysis of Psalm 55
Isaac Watts 1674 (Southampton, Hampshire) – 1748 (Stoke Newington, Middlesex)
v.1-8,16-18,22
C. M.
Support for the afflicted and tempted soul.
O God, my refuge, hear my cries,
"Behold my flowing tears;
For earth and hell my hurt devise,
And triumph in my fears.
Their rage is leveled at my life,
My soul with guilt they load,
And fill my thoughts with inward strife,
To shake my hope in God.
With inward pain my heart-strings sound,
I groan with ev'ry breath;
Horror and fear beset me round
Amongst the shades of death.
O were I like a feathered dove,
And innocence had wings,
I'd fly, and make a long remove
From all these restless things.
Let me to some wild desert go,
And find a peaceful home;
Where storms of malice never blow,
Temptations never come.
Vain hopes, and vain inventions all
To 'scape the rage of hell!
The mighty God on whom I call,
Can save me here as well.
By morning light I'll seek his face,
At noon repeat my cry;
The night shall hear me ask his grace,
Nor will he long deny.
God shall preserve my soul from fear,
Or shield me when afraid;
Ten thousand angels must appear,
If he command their aid.
I cast my burdens on the Lord,
The Lord sustains them all;
My courage rests upon his word,
That saints shall never fall.
My highest hopes shall not be vain,
My lips shall spread his praise;
While cruel and deceitful men
Scarce live out half their days.
Scheme | XXX AXAX BXBX CDCD XEXE FXFX GHGH IJIJ KLKL XGXG XMXM |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1 11 01100100101 11110111 011101 11011101 010011 11110111 111111 01111101 111101 11011111 11111 10010111 010111 10110101 010011 11010101 111101 11111101 010101 11110101 010101 11010101 110111 01011111 111111 11011111 110111 01111111 111101 11011111 111101 11010101 110111 11110101 010111 11010111 111101 11011111 111111 11000101 111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,269 |
Words | 250 |
Sentences | 17 |
Stanzas | 11 |
Stanza Lengths | 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 43 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 91 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 22 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:15 min read
- 105 Views
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