Analysis of The Hymn Of Man
Khalil Gibran 1883 (Bsharri) – 1931 (New York City)
I was,
And I am.
So shall I be to the end of time,
For I am without end.
I have cleft the vast spaces of the infinite, and
Taken flight in the world of fantasy, and drawn nigh
To the circle of light on high.
Yet behold me a captive of matter.
I have hearkened to the teachings of Confucius,
And listened to the wisdom of Brahma, and sat
Beside the Buddha beneath the tree of knowledge.
Behold me now contending with ignorance and
Unbelieving.
I was upon Sinai when the Lord showed Himself
To Moses. By the Jordan I beheld the Nazarene's
Miracles. In Medina I heard the words of the
Apostle of Arabia.
Behold me now a prisoner of doubt.
I have seen Babylon's strength and Egypt's glory
And the greatness of Greece. My eyes cease not
Upon the smallness and poverty of their works.
I have sat with the witch of Endor and the priests
Of Assyria and the prophets of Palestine, and I cease
Not to chant the truth.
I have learned the wisdom that descended on
India, and gained mastery over poetry that welled
From the Arabian's heart, and hearkened to the
Music of people from the West.
Yet am I blind and see not; my ears are stopped
And I do not hear.
I have borne the harshness of insatiable
Conquerors, and felt the oppression of tyrants and the
bondage of the powerful.
Yet am I strong to do battle with the days.
All this have I heard and seen, and I am yet a
Child. In truth shall I hear and see the deeds of
Youth, and grow old and attain perfection and
Return to God.
I was,
And I am.
So shall I be to the end of time,
For I am without end.
Scheme | ABCD effxxxxex xagg xxxxxxx xdgxxx hghxgxex ABCD |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11 011 111110111 111011 1110110101000 1010011100011 10101111 1011010110 11110101010 01010101101 010100101110 011101011000 010 11011101101 11010101101 1000010110110 01010100 0111010011 1111101010 0010111111 010100100111 11110111001 101000010110011 11101 11101010101 100011001010011 10110110 10110101 11110111111 01111 11101010100 10001001011000 1010100 11111110101 111110101110 10111101011 10110010100 0111 11 011 111110111 111011 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,515 |
Words | 305 |
Sentences | 22 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 9, 4, 7, 6, 8, 4 |
Lines Amount | 42 |
Letters per line (avg) | 29 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 171 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 43 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:32 min read
- 101 Views
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