Analysis of Isaiah LXIII
Phillis Wheatley 1753 (West Africa) – 1784 (Boston)
Say, heav'nly muse, what king or mighty God,
That moves sublime from Idumea's road?
In Bosrah's dies, with martial glories join'd,
His purple vesture waves upon the wind.
Why thus enrob'd delights he to appear
In the dread image of the Pow'r of war?
Compres'd in wrath the swelling wine-press groan'd,
It bled, and pour'd the gushing purple round.
"Mine was the act," th' Almighty Saviour said,
And shook the dazzling glories of his head,
"When all forsook I trod the press alone,
"And conquer'd by omnipotence my own;
"For man's release sustain'd the pond'rous load,
"For man the wrath of an immortal God:
"To execute th' Eternal's dread command
"My soul I sacrific'd with willing hand;
"Sinless I stood before the avenging frown,
"Atoning thus for vices not my own."
His eye the ample field of battle round
Survey'd, but no created succours found;
His own omnipotence sustain'd the right,
His vengeance sunk the haughty foes in night;
Beneath his feet the prostrate troops were spread,
And round him lay the dying, and the dead.
Great God, what light'ning flashes from thine eyes?
What pow'r withstands if thou indignant rise?
Against thy Zion though her foes may rage,
And all their cunning, all their strength engage,
Yet she serenely on thy bosom lies,
Smiles at their arts, and all their force defies.
Scheme | ABXXXXXC DDEEBAFFXE CCGGDD HH IIHH |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) Etheree (20%) |
Metre | 111111101 1101111 011110101 110110101 111011101 00110101111 101010111 1101010101 11011101011 01010010111 1101110101 0101010011 110101011 1101110101 110111101 111101101 1110100101 11110111 1101011101 011101011 1101000101 1101010101 0111010101 0111010001 1111110111 11101110101 0111010111 0111011101 11010011101 1111011101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,301 |
Words | 227 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 10, 6, 2, 4 |
Lines Amount | 30 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 203 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 45 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:13 min read
- 135 Views
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"Isaiah LXIII" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/29365/isaiah-lxiii>.
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