Analysis of Spirit

Anne Bradstreet 1612 (Northampton) – 1672 (Andover)



Be still, thou unregenerate part,
Disturb no more my settled heart,
For I have vow'd (and so will do)
Thee as a foe still to pursue,
And combat with thee will and must
Until I see thee laid in th' dust.
Sister we are, yea twins we be,
Yet deadly feud 'twixt thee and me,
For from one father are we not.
Thou by old Adam wast begot,
But my arise is from above,
Whence my dear father I do love.
Thou speak'st me fair but hat'st me sore.
Thy flatt'ring shews I'll trust no more.
How oft thy slave hast thou me made
When I believ'd what thou hast said
And never had more cause of woe
Than when I did what thou bad'st do.
I'll stop mine ears at these thy charms
And count them for my deadly harms.
Thy sinful pleasures I do hate,
Thy riches are to me no bait.
Thine honours do, nor will I love,
For my ambition lies above.
My greatest honour it shall be
When I am victor over thee,
And Triumph shall, with laurel head,
When thou my Captive shalt be led.
How I do live, thou need'st not scoff,
For I have meat thou know'st not of.
The hidden Manna I do eat;
The word of life, it is my meat.
My thoughts do yield me more content
Than can thy hours in pleasure spent.
Nor are they shadows which I catch,
Nor fancies vain at which I snatch
But reach at things that are so high,
Beyond thy dull Capacity.
Eternal substance I do see
With which inriched I would be.
Mine eye doth pierce the heav'ns and see
What is Invisible to thee.
My garments are not silk nor gold,
Nor such like trash which Earth doth hold,
But Royal Robes I shall have on,
More glorious than the glist'ring Sun.
My Crown not Diamonds, Pearls, and gold,
But such as Angels' heads infold.
The City where I hope to dwell,
There's none on Earth can parallel.
The stately Walls both high and trong
Are made of precious Jasper stone,
The Gates of Pearl, both rich and clear,
And Angels are for Porters there.
The Streets thereof transparent gold
Such as no Eye did e're behold.
A Crystal River there doth run
Which doth proceed from the Lamb's Throne.
Of Life, there are the waters sure
Which shall remain forever pure.
Nor Sun nor Moon they have no need
For glory doth from God proceed.
No Candle there, nor yet Torch light,
For there shall be no darksome night.
From sickness and infirmity
Forevermore they shall be free.
Nor withering age shall e're come there,
But beauty shall be bright and clear.
This City pure is not for thee,
For things unclean there shall not be.
If I of Heav'n may have my fill,
Take thou the world, and all that will."


Scheme AABBCCDDEFGGHHIJKBLLMMGGDDJJNGOOPPQQRDDDDDSSTUSAVVWXYZSSUX1 1 2 2 3 3 DDZYDD4 4
Poetic Form
Metre 11111 01111101 11110111 11011101 01011101 0111110111 10111111 11011101 11110111 11110101 11011101 11110111 1111111111 11111111 11111111 11011111 01011111 111111111 11111111 01111101 11010111 11011111 1111111 11010101 1101111 11110101 01011101 11110111 111111111 111111111 01010111 01111111 11111110 111100101 1111111 11011111 11111111 01110100 01010111 111111 11110101 11010011 11011111 11111111 11011111 11001011 11110101 1111011 01011111 1111110 01011101 11110101 01111101 01011101 0110101 111111101 01010111 11011011 11110101 11010101 11111111 11011101 11011111 1111111 11000100 11111 1100111111 11011101 11011111 11011111 11111111 11010111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 2,509
Words 487
Sentences 30
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 72
Lines Amount 72
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 1,928
Words per stanza (avg) 484
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

2:31 min read
96

Anne Bradstreet

Anne Bradstreet was the first poet and first female writer in the British North American colonies to be published. more…

All Anne Bradstreet poems | Anne Bradstreet Books

1 fan

Discuss this Anne Bradstreet poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Spirit" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/3100/spirit>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    13
    hours
    22
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem, "The cask of Amontillado"?
    A Edgar Allan Poe
    B Miguel De Cervantes
    C Rudyard Kipling
    D Emily Dickinson