Analysis of Sonnet to William Wilberforce, Esq.

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



Thy country, Wilberforce, with just disdain,
   Hears thee, by cruel men and impious, call'd
   Fanatic, for thy zeal to loose th' enthrall'd
    From exile, public sale, and slav'ry's chain.
   Friend of the poor, the wrong'd, the fetter-gall'd,
   Fear not lest labour such as thine be vain!
   Thou hast achiev'd a part; hast gain'd the ear
   Of Britain's senate to thy glorious cause;
   Hope smiles, joy springs, and tho' cold caution pause
  And weave delay, the better hour is near,
  That shall remunerate thy toils severe
  By peace for Afric, fenc'd with British laws.
    Enjoy what thou hast won, esteem and love
    From all the just on earth, and all the blest above!


Scheme ABBABACDEFFEGG
Poetic Form
Metre 110101101 11110100101 010111111101 11101011 1101010101 111111111 1101011101 11010111001 1111011101 01010101011 110011101 111111101 0111110101 110111010101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 677
Words 114
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 495
Words per stanza (avg) 112
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

37 sec read
146

William Cowper

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

All William Cowper poems | William Cowper Books

2 fans

Discuss this William Cowper poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Sonnet to William Wilberforce, Esq." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/40104/sonnet-to-william-wilberforce%2C-esq.>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    12
    hours
    48
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    What American novelist took the title of his novel from a Robert Burns poem?
    A John Steinbeck
    B Thomas Wolfe
    C John Dos Passos
    D Thornton Wilder