Analysis of Psalm 139
Sir Philip Sidney 1554 (Penshurst, Kent) – 1586 (Zutphen)
O Lord in me there lieth nought
But to thy search revealed lies;
For when I sit
Thou markest it:
Nor less thou notest when I rise:
Yea, closest closet of my thought
Hath open windows to thine eyes.
Thou walkest with me when I walk;
When to my bed for rest I go,
I find thee there,
And everywhere,
Not youngest thought in me doth grow,
No, not one word I cast to talk
But, yet unuttered, thou dost know.
If forth I march, thou goest before;
If back I turn, thou com'st behind;
So forth nor back
Thy guard I lack;
Nay, on me too thy hand I find.
Well I thy wisdom may adore,
But never reach with earthly mind.
To shun thy notice, leave thine eye,
O whither might I take my way?
To starry sphere?
Thy throne is there:
To dead men's undelightsome stay?
There is thy walk, and there to lie
Unknown, in vain should I assay.
O sun, whom light nor flight can match!
Suppose thy lightful flightful wings
Thou lend to me,
And I could flee
As far as thee the evening brings:
Even led to west he would me catch
Nor should I lurk with western things.
Do thou thy best, O secret night!
In sable veil to cover me:
Thy sable veil
Shall vainly fail:
With day unmasked my night shall be,
For night is day, and darkness light,
O Father of all lights, to thee.
Scheme | ABAABAB CDEEDCD FAGGAFA HXXEAHI JKIIKJK AILLIAI |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101111 1111011 1111 111 1111111 11010111 11010111 1111111 11111111 1111 010 11010111 11111111 111111 11111101 111111101 1111 1111 11111111 11110101 11011101 11110111 11011111 1101 1111 11111 11110111 01011110 11111111 011111 1111 0111 11110101 101111111 11111101 11111101 01011101 1101 1101 11011111 11110101 11011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,208 |
Words | 248 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7 |
Lines Amount | 42 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 158 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 41 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 31, 2023
- 1:15 min read
- 124 Views
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"Psalm 139" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/35257/psalm-139>.
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