Analysis of De Profundis

Edith Nesbit 1858 (Kennington, Surrey ) – 1924 (New Romney, Kent)



NOW I am cast into the serpent pit
And, catching difficult breath
From the writhing, loathsome, ceaseless stir of it,
The venomous whispers of curling, clasping Death,
I lift my soul out of the pit to Thee
And reaching with my soul to where Thou art
Look down, seeing with free heart
The beast God gave my soul for company
Lie with companions fit;
And bid, with a good will,
The serpent-fangs of ill
Take their foul fill
Of the foul fell it wore.
Though a thousand serpent heads were raised to slay,
A thousand twisting coils writhed where it lay,
There lies the beast, there let it lie for me
And agonize and rave;
For Thou has raised my soul, Thy soul, to Thee!
Thy soul, dear Lord, Thou hast been strong to save!


Scheme ABABCDDCAEEEFGGCHCH
Poetic Form
Metre 1111010101 0101001 10101010111 01001011011 1111110111 0101111111 1110111 0111111100 110101 011011 010111 1111 101111 10101010111 0101011111 1101111111 01001 1111111111 1111111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 705
Words 137
Sentences 4
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 19
Lines Amount 19
Letters per line (avg) 29
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 559
Words per stanza (avg) 135
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

41 sec read
48

Edith Nesbit

Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 books of children's literature. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later affiliated to the Labour Party. more…

All Edith Nesbit poems | Edith Nesbit Books

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