Analysis of Olney Hymn 6: Wisdom
William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)
'Ere God had built the mountains,
Or raised the fruitful hills;
Before he fill'd the fountains
That feed the running rills;
In me from everlasting,
The wonderful I am,
Found pleasures never wasting,
And Wisdom is my name.
'When, like a tent to dwell in,
He spread the skies abroad,
And swathed about the swelling
Of Ocean's mighty flood;
He wrought by weight and measure,
And I was with Him then:
Myself the Father's pleasure,
And mine, the sons of men.'
Thus Wisdom's words discover
Thy glory and Thy grace,
Thou everlasting lover
Of our unworthy race!
Thy gracious eye survey'd us
Ere stars were seen above;
In wisdom thou hast made us,
And died for us in love.
And couldst thou be delighted
With creatures such as we,
Who, when we saw Thee, slighted,
And nail'd Thee to a tree?
Unfathomable wonder,
And mystery divine!
The voice that speaks in thunder,
Says, 'Sinner, I am thine!'
Scheme | AXAABXBX XXBCDEDE DFDFGHGH CIXIDJDJ |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111010 110101 0111010 110101 011010 010011 1101010 010111 1101110 110101 0101010 110101 1111010 011111 101010 010111 111010 110011 101010 1100101 1101011 110101 0101111 011101 0111010 110111 1111110 011101 0100010 010001 0111010 110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 891 |
Words | 161 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 32 |
Letters per line (avg) | 21 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 171 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 39 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 49 sec read
- 127 Views
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"Olney Hymn 6: Wisdom" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/39994/olney-hymn-6%3A-wisdom>.
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