Analysis of Psalm 77 part 1

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



Melancholy assaulting, and hope prevailing.

To God I cried with mournful voice,
I sought his gracious ear,
In the sad day when troubles rose,
And filled the night with fear.

Sad were my days, and dark my nights,
My soul refused relief;
I thought on God the just and wise,
But thoughts increased my grief.

Still I complained, and still oppressed,
My heart began to break;
My God, thy wrath forbade my rest,
And kept my eyes awake.

My overwhelming sorrows grew,
Till I could speak no more;
Then I within myself withdrew,
And called thy judgments o'er.

I called back years and ancient times
When I beheld thy face;
My spirit searched for secret crimes
That might withhold thy grace.

I called thy mercies to my mind
Which I enjoyed before;
And will the Lord no more be kind?
His face appear no more?

Will he for ever cast me off?
His promise ever fail?
Has he forgot his tender love?
Shall anger still prevail?

But I forbid this hopeless thought;
This dark, despairing frame,
Rememb'ring what thy hand hath wrought;
Thy hand is still the same.

I'll think again of all thy ways,
And talk thy wonders o'er;
Thy wonders of recovering grace,
When flesh could hope no more.

Grace dwells with justice on the throne;
And men that love thy word
Have in thy sanctuary known
The counsels of the Lord.


Scheme X XXXX XAXA BCBC DEDF GHGH IEIE XJXJ KLKL XFHE MXMX
Poetic Form
Metre 10001001010 11111101 111101 00111101 010111 10110111 110101 11110101 110111 11010101 110111 11110111 011101 1010101 111111 1101101 0111010 11110101 11111 11011101 110111 11110111 110101 01011111 110111 11110111 110101 11011101 110101 11011101 110101 111111 111101 11011111 0111010 110101001 111111 11110101 011111 1011001 010101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,254
Words 236
Sentences 16
Stanzas 11
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 41
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 92
Words per stanza (avg) 21
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:12 min read
33

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

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