Analysis of What Of The Day
John Greenleaf Whittier 1807 (Haverhill) – 1892 (Hampton Falls)
A SOUND of tumult troubles all the air,
Like the low thunders of a sultry sky
Far-rolling ere the downright lightnings glare;
The hills blaze red with warnings; foes draw nigh,
Treading the dark with challenge and reply.
Behold the burden of the prophet's vision;
The gathering hosts, — the Valley of Decision,
Dusk with the wings of eagles wheeling o'er.
Day of the Lord, of darkness and not light!
It breaks in thunder and the whirlwind's roar!
Even so, Father! Let Thy will be done;
Turn and o'erturn, end what Thou hast begun
In judgment or in mercy: as for me,
If but the least and frailest, let me be
Evermore numbered with the truly free
Who find Thy service perfect liberty!
I fain would thank Thee that my mortal life
Has reached the hour (albeit through care and pain)
When Good and Evil, as for final strife,
Close dim and vast on Armageddon's plain;
And Michael and his angels once again
Drive howling back the Spirits of the Night.
Oh for the faith to read the signs aright
And, from the angle of Thy perfect sight,
See Truth's white banner floating on before;
And the Good Cause, despite of venal friends,
And base expedients, move to noble ends;
See Peace with Freedom make to Time amends,
And, through its cloud of dust, the threshing-floor,
Flailed by the thunder, heaped with chaffless grain!
Scheme | ABABBCCDEFCCGGGGHIHIJEEEFKKKFI |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) Etheree (20%) |
Metre | 0111010101 1011010101 110101101 0111110111 1001110001 0101010110 010010101010 11011101010 1101110011 110100011 1011011111 101111101 0101010111 110101111 101010101 1111001100 1111111101 110100101101 1101011101 1101111 0100110101 1101010101 110111011 0101011011 1111010101 0011011101 01111101 1111011101 011111011 110101111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,291 |
Words | 236 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 30 |
Lines Amount | 30 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,029 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 234 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:12 min read
- 70 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"What Of The Day" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/23279/what-of-the-day>.
Discuss this John Greenleaf Whittier poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In