Analysis of Worship

John Crowe Ransom 1888 (Pulaski) – 1974 (Gambier)



I know a quite religious man
Who utters praises when he can.

Now I find God in bard and book,
In school and temple, bird and brook.

But he says God is sweetest of all
Discovered in a drinking-hall.

For God requires no costly wine
But comes on the foam of a crockery stein.

And when that foam is on the lips,
Begin then God's good fellowships.

Cathedrals, synagogues, and kirks
May go to the devil, and all their works.

And as for Christian charity,
It's made out of hilarity.

He gives the beggar all his dimes,
Forgives his brother seven times.

'I love the rain,' says thirsty clod;
So this religious man of God.

For God has come, and is it odd
He praises all the works of God?

'For God has come, and there's no sorrow,'
He sings all night--will he sing to-morrow?


Scheme AA BB CC DD EE FF GG HH GI II JJ
Poetic Form
Metre 11010101 11010111 11110101 01010101 111111011 01000101 110101101 11101101001 01111101 0111110 0101001 1110100111 01110100 11110100 11010111 01110101 11011101 11010111 11110111 11010111 111101110 1111111110
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 761
Words 149
Sentences 12
Stanzas 11
Stanza Lengths 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
Lines Amount 22
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 53
Words per stanza (avg) 13
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

45 sec read
123

John Crowe Ransom

John Crowe Ransom was an educator, scholar, literary critic, poet, essayist and editor. more…

All John Crowe Ransom poems | John Crowe Ransom Books

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