Analysis of The Good That I Would I Do Not
John Newton 1725 (Wapping, London) – 1807 (London)
I would, but cannot sing,
Guilt has untuned my voice;
The serpent sin's envenomed sting
Has poisoned all my joys.
I know the Lord is nigh,
And would, but cannot, pray;
For Satan meets me when I try,
And frights my soul away.
I would but can't repent
Though I endeavor oft;
This stony heart can ne'er relent
Till Jesus make it soft.
I would but cannot love,
Though wooed by love divine;
No arguments have pow'r to move
A soul so base as mine.
I would, but cannot rest
In God's most holy will;
I know what he appoints is best,
Yet murmur at it still!
Oh could I but believe!
Then all would easy be;
I would, but cannot, Lord relieve,
My help must come from thee!
But if indeed I would,
Though I can nothing do,
Yet the desire is something good,
For which my praise is due.
By nature prone to ill,
Till thine appointed hour
I was as destitute of will,
As now I am of pow'r.
Wilt thou not crown, at length,
The work thou hast begun?
And with a will, afford me strength
In all thy ways to run.
Scheme | AXAX BCBC DXDX XEXE FGFG HIHI JKJK GXGX LMLM |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (67%) |
Metre | 111101 11111 010111 110111 110111 011101 11011111 011101 111101 110101 11011101 110111 111101 111101 110011111 011111 111101 011101 11110111 110111 111101 111101 11110101 111111 110111 111101 100101101 111111 110111 1101010 1111011 1111111 111111 011101 01010111 011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 969 |
Words | 198 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 9 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 36 |
Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 83 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 22 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:01 min read
- 119 Views
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"The Good That I Would I Do Not" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/24011/the-good-that-i-would-i-do-not>.
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