Analysis of Goliath Of Gath
SAMUEL, Chap. xvii.
YE martial pow'rs, and all ye tuneful nine,
Inspire my song, and aid my high design.
The dreadful scenes and toils of war I write,
The ardent warriors, and the fields of fight:
You best remember, and you best can sing
The acts of heroes to the vocal string:
Resume the lays with which your sacred lyre,
Did then the poet and the sage inspire.
Now front to front the armies were display'd,
Here Israel rang'd, and there the foes array'd;
The hosts on two opposing mountains stood,
Thick as the foliage of the waving wood;
Between them an extensive valley lay,
O'er which the gleaming armour pour'd the day,
When from the camp of the Philistine foes,
Dreadful to view, a mighty warrior rose;
In the dire deeds of bleeding battle skill'd,
The monster stalks the terror of the field.
From Gath he sprung, Goliath was his name,
Of fierce deportment, and gigantic frame:
A brazen helmet on his head was plac'd,
A coat of mail his form terrific grac'd,
The greaves his legs, the targe his shoulders prest:
Dreadful in arms high-tow'ring o'er the rest
A spear he proudly wav'd, whose iron head,
Strange to relate, six hundred shekels weigh'd;
He strode along, and shook the ample field,
While Phoebus blaz'd refulgent on his shield:
Through Jacob's race a chilling horror ran,
When thus the huge, enormous chief began:
"Say, what the cause that in this proud array
"You set your battle in the face of day?
"One hero find in all your vaunting train,
"Then see who loses, and who wins the plain;
"For he who wins, in triumph may demand
"Perpetual service from the vanquish'd land:
"Your armies I defy, your force despise,
"By far inferior in Philistia's eyes:
"Produce a man, and let us try the fight,
"Decide the contest, and the victor's right."
Thus challeng'd he: all Israel stood amaz'd,
And ev'ry chief in consternation gaz'd;
But Jesse's son in youthful bloom appears,
And warlike courage far beyond his years:
He left the folds, he left the flow'ry meads,
And soft recesses of the sylvan shades.
Now Israel's monarch, and his troops arise,
With peals of shouts ascending to the skies;
In Elah's vale the scene of combat lies.
When the fair morning blush'd with orient red,
What David's fire enjoin'd the son obey'd,
And swift of foot towards the trench he came,
Where glow'd each bosom with the martial flame.
He leaves his carriage to another's care,
And runs to greet his brethren of the war.
While yet they spake the giant-chief arose,
Repeats the challenge, and insults his foes:
Struck with the sound, and trembling at the view,
Affrighted Israel from its post withdrew.
"Observe ye this tremendous foe, they cry'd,
"Who in proud vaunts our armies hath defy'd:
"Whoever lays him prostrate on the plain,
"Freedom in Israel for his house shall gain;
"And on him wealth unknown the king will pour,
"And give his royal daughter for his dow'r."
Then Jesse's youngest hope: "My brethren say,
"What shall be done for him who takes away
"Reproach from Jacob, who destroys the chief.
"And puts a period to his country's grief.
"He vaunts the honours of his arms abroad,
"And scorns the armies of the living God."
Thus spoke the youth, th' attentive people ey'd
The wond'rous hero, and again reply'd:
"Such the rewards our monarch will bestow,
"On him who conquers, and destroys his foe."
Eliab heard, and kindled into ire
To hear his shepherd brother thus inquire,
And thus begun: "What errand brought thee? say
"Who keeps thy flock? or does it go astray?
"I know the base ambition of thine heart,
"But back in safety from the field depart."
Eliab thus to Jesse's youngest heir,
Express'd his wrath in accents most severe.
When to his brother mildly he reply'd.
"What have I done? or what the cause to chide?
The words were told before the king, who sent
For the young hero to his royal tent:
Before the monarch dauntless he began,
"For this Philistine fail no heart of man:
"I'll take the vale, and with the giant fight:
"I dread not all his boasts, nor all his might."
When thus the king: "Dar'st thou a stripling go,
"And venture combat with so great a foe?
"Who all his days has been inur'd to fight,
"And made its deeds his study and delight:
"Battles and bloodshed brought the monster forth,
"And clouds and whirlwinds usher'd in his birth."
Scheme A BBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIXJKKLLMMNFJJOOHHPPQQRRCCSSTTXXRRRNFKKUVIIAXCCPPVXHHAAXXWCXAEEHHYYUXCWZZOOCCXACCXE Poetic Form Metre 1011 1101011101 0111011101 0101011111 01010000111 1101001111 0111010101 0101111101 1101000101 1111010001 11001010101 0111010101 1101010101 0111010101 10101010101 110110101 10110101001 0011110101 0101010101 1111010111 1101000101 0101011111 0111110101 0111011101 10011111001 0111011101 1101110101 1101010101 11011111 1101010101 1101010101 1101101101 1111000111 110101111 1111001101 1111010101 01001010101 1101011101 110100011 0101011101 101000101 11011100101 01100101 1101010101 011010111 110111011 0110010101 110101101 1111010101 011011101 1011011101 11010010101 0111010111 1111010101 1111010101 0111110101 1111010101 0101000111 11010100101 110011101 0111010111 1011101011 0101110101 10010011111 0111010111 01110101111 1101011101 1111111101 0111010101 01010011101 110111101 0101010101 110111010101 01100011 1001101101 1111000111 11010011 1111010101 0101110111 1111111101 1101010111 1101010101 11110101 0111010101 111101011 1111110111 0101010111 1011011101 01011101 111011111 1101010101 1111111111 11011110101 0101011101 1111110111 0111110001 100110101 0101100111 Closest metre Iambic pentameter Characters 4,187 Words 761 Sentences 29 Stanzas 2 Stanza Lengths 1, 97 Lines Amount 98 Letters per line (avg) 34 Words per line (avg) 8 Letters per stanza (avg) 1,643 Words per stanza (avg) 377 Font size:Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
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"Goliath Of Gath" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/29363/goliath-of-gath>.
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