Analysis of Through Foulest Fogs

James Thomson 1700 (Port Glasgow) – 1748 (London)



THROUGH foulest fogs of my own sluggish soul,
   Through midnight glooms of all the wide world's guilt,
Through sulphurous cannon-clouds that surge and roll
   Above the steam of blood in anger spilt;
Through all the sombre earth-oppressing piles
   Of old cathedral temples which expand
Sepulchral vaults and monumental aisles,
   Hopeless and freezing in the lifeful land;
I gaze and seek with ever-longing eyes
   For God, the Love-Supreme, all-wise, all-good:
Alas! in vain; for over all the skies
   A dark and awful shadow seems to brood,
A numbing, infinite, eternal gloom:
I tremble in the consciousness of Doom.


Scheme ABABCDCDEFEGHH
Poetic Form
Metre 111111101 111110111 111011101 0101110101 110110101 1101010101 1100101 100100011 1101110101 1101011111 0101110101 010101111 0101000101 1100010011
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 615
Words 99
Sentences 3
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 483
Words per stanza (avg) 97
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

30 sec read
76

James Thomson

James Thomson, who wrote under the pseudonym Bysshe Vanolis, was a Scottish Victorian-era poet famous primarily for the long poem The City of Dreadful Night, an expression of bleak pessimism in a dehumanized, uncaring urban environment. more…

All James Thomson poems | James Thomson Books

1 fan

Discuss this James Thomson poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Through Foulest Fogs" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20682/through-foulest-fogs>.

    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.
    3
    days
    1
    hour
    7
    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 was “admirably schooled in every grace”?
    A Richard Cory
    B Miniver Cheevy
    C Odysseus
    D J. Alfred Prufrock