Analysis of Plenty In A Time Of Dearth

John Newton 1725 (Wapping, London) – 1807 (London)



My soul once had its plenteous years,
And throve, with peace and comfort filled,
Like the fat kine and ripened ears,
Which Pharaoh in his dream beheld.

With pleasing frames and grace received,
With means and ordinances fed;
How happy for a while I lived,
And little feared the want of bread.

But famine came and left no sign,
Of all the plenty I had seen;
Like the dry ears and half-starved kine,
I then looked withered, faint and lean.

To Joseph the Egyptians went,
To Jesus I made known my case;
He, when my little stock was spent,
Opened his magazine of grace.

For he the time of dearth foresaw,
And made provision long before;
That famished souls, like me, might draw
Supplies from his unbounded store.

Now on his bounty I depend,
And live from fear of dearth secure,
Maintained by such a mighty friend,
I cannot want till he is poor.

O sinners hear his gracious call!
His mercy's door stands open wide,
He has enough to feed you all,
And none who come shall be denied.


Scheme ABAB XCXC DEDE FGFG HIHI JXJX KLKL
Poetic Form Quatrain  (86%)
Metre 1111111 01110101 10110101 1100111 11010101 11010001 11010111 01010111 11010111 11010111 10110111 11110101 11000101 11011111 11110111 1011011 1101111 01010101 11011111 01110101 11110101 01111101 01110101 11011111 11011101 1111101 11011111 01111101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 960
Words 182
Sentences 9
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 109
Words per stanza (avg) 26
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

54 sec read
104

John Newton

Rev Dr John A Newton CBE is a prominent Methodist minister, author, historian and former President of the Methodist Conference. more…

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