Analysis of Hymn to Lucifer

Aleister Crowley 1875 (Leamington Spa) – 1947 (Hastings)



Ware, nor of good nor ill, what aim hath act?
Without its climax, death, what savour hath
Life? an impeccable machine, exact
He paces an inane and pointless path
To glut brute appetites, his sole content
How tedious were he fit to comprehend
Himself! More, this our noble element
Of fire in nature, love in spirit, unkenned
Life hath no spring, no axle, and no end.

His body a bloody-ruby radiant
With noble passion, sun-souled Lucifer
Swept through the dawn colossal, swift aslant
On Eden's imbecile perimeter.
He blessed nonentity with every curse
And spiced with sorrow the dull soul of sense,
Breathed life into the sterile universe,
With Love and Knowledge drove out innocence
The Key of Joy is disobedience.


Scheme ABABXCDAC DEAEFXFGG
Poetic Form
Metre 1111111111 01111111 1101000101 1101010101 111101110 1100011101 01111010100 11001010101 1111110011 11001010100 1101011100 110101011 111000100 11010011001 0111001111 110101010 1101011100 011110100
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 704
Words 123
Sentences 7
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 9, 9
Lines Amount 18
Letters per line (avg) 32
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 285
Words per stanza (avg) 61
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 20, 2023

37 sec read
109

Aleister Crowley

Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley, was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, and mountaineer. more…

All Aleister Crowley poems | Aleister Crowley Books

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