Analysis of Psalm 84

John Milton 1608 (Cheapside) – 1674 (Chalfont St Giles)



How lovely are thy dwellings fair!
O Lord of Hoasts, how dear
The pleasant Tabernacles are!
Where thou do'st dwell so near.
My Soul doth long and almost die
Thy Courts O Lord to see,
My heart and flesh aloud do crie,
O living God, for thee.
There ev'n the Sparrow freed from wrong
Hath found a house of rest,                                      
The Swallow there, to lay her young
Hath built her brooding nest,
Ev'n by thy Altars Lord of Hoasts
They find their safe abode,
And home they fly from round the Coasts
Toward thee, My King, my God
Happy, who in thy house reside
Where thee they ever praise,
Happy, whose strength in thee doth bide,
And in their hearts thy waies.                                   
They pass through Baca's thirstie Vale,
That dry and barren ground
As through a fruitfull watry Dale
Where Springs and Showrs abound.
They journey on from strength to strength
With joy and gladsom cheer
Till all before our God at length
In Sion do appear.
Lord God of Hoasts hear now my praier
O Jacobs God give ear,                                           
Thou God our shield look on the face
Of thy anointed dear.
For one day in thy Courts to be
Is better, and mere blest
Then in the joyes of Vanity,
A thousand daies at best.
I in the temple of my God
Had rather keep a dore,
Then dwell in Tents, and rich abode
With Sin for evermore                                            
For God the Lord both Sun and Shield
Gives grace and glory bright,
No good from him shall be with-held
Whose waies are just and right.
Lord God of Hoasts that raign 'st on high,
That man is truly blest
Who only on thee doth relie.
And in thee only rest.


Scheme ABCBDEAEFGHGEIJKLMLENONOPBPBAQRBEGEGKSISTUVUDGNG
Poetic Form
Metre 11011101 111111 01011 1111111 1111011 111111 11010111 110111 111010111 110111 01011101 110101 111110111 111101 01111101 0111111 10101101 111101 10110111 001111 111111 110101 1101101 110101 11011111 11011 110110111 01101 11111111 110111 111011101 110101 11101111 110011 10011100 010111 10010111 110101 11010101 11110 11011101 110101 11111111 111101 111111111 111101 1101111 001101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,609
Words 292
Sentences 13
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 48
Lines Amount 48
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 1,159
Words per stanza (avg) 290
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:28 min read
28

John Milton

John Milton was the Secretary of State of Georgia from 1777 to 1799. more…

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