Analysis of First Six Verses Of The Ninetieth Psalm Versified, The

Robert Burns 1759 (Alloway) – 1796 (Dumfries)



O Thou, the first, the greatest friend
Of all the human race!
Whose strong right hand has ever been
Their stay and dwelling place!

Before the mountains heav'd their heads
Beneath Thy forming hand,
Before this ponderous globe itself
Arose at Thy command;

That Pow'r which rais'd and still upholds
This universal frame,
From countless, unbeginning time
Was ever still the same.

Those mighty periods of years
Which seem to us so vast,
Appear no more before Thy sight
Than yesterday that's past.

Thou giv'st the word: Thy creature, man,
Is to existence brought;
Again Thou say'st, 'Ye sons of men,
Return ye into nought!'

Thou layest them, with all their cares,
In everlasting sleep;
As with a flood Thou tak'st them off
With overwhelming sweep.

They flourish like the morning flow'r,
In beauty's pride array'd;
But long ere night cut down it lies
All wither'd and decay'd.


Scheme ABXB XCXC XDXD XEXE XXXA XFXF XGXG
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 11010101 110101 11111101 110101 01010111 011101 011100101 011101 111110101 10101 11011 110101 11010011 111111 01110111 11011 11011101 110101 011111111 011011 1111111 00101 110111111 10101 110101011 01101 11111111 110001
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 850
Words 151
Sentences 8
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 98
Words per stanza (avg) 21
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

48 sec read
122

Robert Burns

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist. more…

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