Analysis of The Soul's Prayer
Sarojini Naidu 1879 (Hyderabad) – 1949 (Lucknow)
In childhood's pride I said to Thee:
'O Thou, who mad'st me of Thy breath,
Speak, Master, and reveal to me
Thine inmost laws of life and death.
'Give me to drink each joy and pain
Which Thine eternal hand can mete,
For my insatiate soul can drain
Earth's utmost bitter, utmost sweet.
'Spare me no bliss, no pang of strife,
Withhold no gift or grief I crave,
The intricate lore of love and life
And mystic knowledge of the grave.'
Lord, Thou didst answer stern and low:
'Child, I will hearken to thy prayer,
And thy unconquered soul shall know
All passionate rapture and despair.
'Thou shalt drink deep of joy and fame,
And love shall burn thee like a fire,
And pain shall cleanse thee like a flame,
To purge the dross from thy desire.
'So shall thy chastened spirit yearn
To seek from its blind prayer release,
And spent and pardoned, sue to learn
The simple secret of My peace.
I, bending from my sevenfold height,
Will teach thee of My quickening grace,
Life is a prism of My light,
And Death the shadow of My face.'
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ KLKL MNMN |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Traditional rhyme Quatrain |
Metre | 0111111 111111111 11000111 1111101 11111101 11010111 111111 111011 11111111 01111111 010011101 01010101 11110101 1111111 011111 110010001 11111101 011111010 01111101 110111010 11110101 11111101 01010111 01010111 11011101 111111001 11010111 0101111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,026 |
Words | 194 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 113 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 27 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 58 sec read
- 132 Views
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