Analysis of Olney Hymn 2: Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord Will Provide

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



The saints should never be dismay'd,
Nor sink in hopeless fear;
For when they least expect His aid,
The Saviour will appear.

This Abraham found: he raised the knife;
God saw, and said, 'Forbear!
Yon ram shall yield his meaner life;
Behold the victim there.'

Once David seem'd Saul's certain prey;
But hark! the foe's at hand;
Saul turns his arms another way,
To save the invaded land.

When Jonah sunk beneath the wave,
He thought to rise no more;
But God prepared a fish to save,
And bear him to the shore.

Blest proofs of power and grace divine,
That meet us in His word!
May every deep-felt care of mine
Be trusted with the Lord.

Wait for His seasonable aid,
And though it tarry, wait:
The promise may be long delay'd,
But cannot come too late.


Scheme ABAB CBCX DEDE FGFG HXHX AIAI
Poetic Form Quatrain  (83%)
Metre 01110101 110101 11110111 01101 11011101 11011 11111101 010101 11011101 110111 11110101 1100101 11010101 111111 11010111 011101 111100101 111011 110011111 110101 11110001 011101 01011101 110111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 754
Words 141
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) 23
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 22, 2023

43 sec read
142

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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