Analysis of Psalm 66 part 1

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



Governing power and goodness; or, Our graces tried by afflictions.

Sing, all ye nations, to the Lord,
Sing with a joyful noise;
With melody of sound record
His honors and your joys.

Say to the Power that shakes the sky,
"How terrible art thou!
Sinners before thy presence fly,
Or at thy feet they bow."

[Come, see the wonders of our God,
How glorious are his ways!
In Moses' hand he puts his rod,
And cleaves the frighted seas.

He made the ebbing channel dry,
While Isr'el passed the flood
There did the church begin their joy,
And triumph in their God.]

He rules by his resistless might:
Will rebel mortals dare
Provoke th' Eternal to the fight,
And tempt that dreadful war?

O bless our God, and never cease;
Ye saints, fulfil his praise;
He keeps our life, maintains our peace,
And guides our doubtful ways.

Lord, thou hast proved our suff'ring souls,
To make our graces shine;
So silver bears the burning coals,
The metal to refine.

Through wat'ry deeps, and fiery ways,
We march at thy command;
Led to possess the promised place
By thine unerring hand.


Scheme X ABAB CDCD EFEX CXXE GXGX HFHF IJIJ FKXK
Poetic Form
Metre 100100101101011010 11110101 110101 11001101 110011 110101101 110011 10011101 111111 110101101 1100111 01011111 01011 11010101 11101 11010111 010011 111111 110101 0111010101 011101 111010101 11111 1110101101 0110101 11111011 1110101 11010101 010101 11101001 111101 11010101 1111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,032
Words 194
Sentences 12
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
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

58 sec read
47

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…

All Isaac Watts poems | Isaac Watts Books

1 fan

Discuss this Isaac Watts poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Psalm 66 part 1" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/19796/psalm-66-part-1>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    16
    hours
    31
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "Still I Rise"?
    A Robert Burns
    B Elizabeth Barrett Browning
    C Maya Angelou
    D Dylan Thomas