Analysis of Olney Hymn 18: Lovest Thou Me?

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



Hark my soul! it is the Lord;
'Tis Thy Saviour, hear His word;
Jesus speaks and speaks to thee,
'Say poor sinner, lovst thou me?

'I deliver'd thee when bound,
And when bleeding, heal'd thy wound;
Sought thee wandering, set thee right,
Turn'd thy darkness into light.

'Can a woman's tender care
Cease towards the child she bare?
Yes, she may forgetful be,
Yet will I remember thee.

'Mine is an unchanging love,
Higher than the heights above,
Deeper than the depths beneath,
Free and faithful, strong as death.

'Thou shalt see my glory soon,
When the work of grace is done;
Partner of my throne shalt be;
Say, poor sinner, lovst thou me?'

Lord it is my chief complaint,
That my love is weak and faint;
Yet I love Thee and adore, -
Oh! for grace to love Thee more!


Scheme xxaA bbcc ddaa eexx xxaA ffgg
Poetic Form Quatrain  (50%)
Metre 1111101 111111 1010111 1110111 1010111 0110111 11100111 1110011 1010101 1010111 1110101 1110101 1110101 1010101 1010101 1010111 1111101 1011111 1011111 1110111 1111101 1111101 1111001 1111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 769
Words 144
Sentences 10
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 96
Words per stanza (avg) 24
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 15, 2023

44 sec read
132

William Cowper

William Macquarie Cowper was an Australian Anglican archdeacon and Dean of Sydney. more…

All William Cowper poems | William Cowper Books

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