Analysis of Esau
John Newton 1725 (Wapping, London) – 1807 (London)
Poor Esau repented too late
That once he his birth-right despised;
And sold, for a morsel of meat,
What could not too highly be prized:
How great was his anguish when told,
The blessing he sought to obtain,
Was gone with the birth-right he sold,
And none could recall it again!
He stands as a warning to all,
Wherever the gospel shall come;
O Hasten and yield to the call,
While yet for repentance there's room!
Your season will quickly be past,
Then hear and obey it today;
Lest when you seek mercy at last,
The Saviour should frown you away.
What is it the world can propose?
A morsel of meat at the best!
For this are you willing to lose
A share in the joys of the blest?
Its pleasures will speedily end,
Its favor and praise are but breath;
And what can its profits befriend
Your soul in the moment of death?
If Jesus for these you despise,
And sin to the Saviour prefer;
In vain your entreaties and cries,
When summoned to stand at his bar:
How will you his presence abide?
What anguish will torture your heart?
The saints all enthroned by his side,
And you be compelled to depart.
Too often, dear Saviour, have I
Preferred some poor trifle to thee;
How is it thou dost not deny
The blessing and birth-right to me?
No better than Esau I am,
Though pardon and heav'n be mine;
To me belongs nothing but shame,
The praise and the glory be thine.
Scheme | XAXABXBX CXCXDEDE XFXFGHGH IXIXJKJK LMLMXNXN |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (30%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 1101011 11111101 01101011 11111011 11111011 01011101 11101111 0111101 11101011 01001011 11001101 11101011 11011011 11001101 11111011 0111101 11101101 01011101 11111011 01001101 11011001 11001111 01111001 11001011 11011101 0110101 01101001 11011111 11111001 11011011 0111111 01101101 1101111 01111011 11111101 01001111 1101111 1100111 11011011 01001011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,320 |
Words | 257 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 210 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 51 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:17 min read
- 114 Views
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"Esau" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/23935/esau>.
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