Analysis of From Faust - II. Prologue In Heaven

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 1749 (Frankfurt) – 1832 (Weimar)



THE ARCHANGELS' SONG.

THE sun still chaunts, as in old time,

With brother-spheres in choral song,
And with his thunder-march sublime

Moves his predestined course along.
Strength find the angels in his sight,

Though he by none may fathomed be;
Still glorious is each work of might

As when first form'd in majesty.

And swift and swift, in wondrous guise,

Revolves the earth in splendour bright,
The radiant hues of Paradise

Alternating with deepest night.
From out the gulf against the rock,

In spreading billows foams the ocean,--
And cliff and sea with mighty shock,

The spheres whirl round in endless motion.

And storms in emulation growl

From land to sea, from sea to land,
And fashion, as they wildly howl,

A circling, wonder-working band.
Destructive flames in mad career

Precede Thy thunders on their way;
Yet, Lord, Thy messengers revere

The soft mutations of Thy day.

Strength find the angels in Thy sight,

Though none may hope to fathom Thee;
Still glorious are Thy works of might,

As when first form'd in majesty.


Scheme a b ab ac dc D x cx ce fe f g hg hi ji j c dc D
Poetic Form
Metre 0101 01111011 11010101 01110101 1110101 11010011 1111111 110011111 11110100 01010101 0101011 01001110 1001101 11010101 010101010 01011101 011101010 0100101 11111111 01011101 010010101 01010101 01110111 11110001 01010111 11010011 11111101 110011111 11110100
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,036
Words 182
Sentences 13
Stanzas 19
Stanza Lengths 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1
Lines Amount 29
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 43
Words per stanza (avg) 9
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 10, 2023

55 sec read
146

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer and politician. more…

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    From which London landmark did Wordsworth celebrate the view in his poem beginning: "Earth has not any thing to show more fair..."
    A Hampstead Heath
    B Waterloo Sunset
    C The Tower of London
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