Upon A Sheet Of White Paper

John Bunyan 1628 (Elstow, Bedfordshire) – 1688 (London)



This subject is unto the foulest pen,
Or fairest handled by the sons of men.
'Twill also show what is upon it writ,
Be it wisely, or nonsense for want of wit,
Each blot and blur it also will expose
To thy next readers, be they friends or foes.

Comparison.

Some souls are like unto this blank or sheet,
Though not in whiteness. The next man they meet,
If wise or fool, debauched or deluder,
Or what you will, the dangerous intruder
May write thereon, to cause that man to err
In doctrine or in life, with blot and blur.
Nor will that soul conceal from who observes,
But show how foul it is, wherein it swerves.
A reading man may know who was the writer,
And, by the hellish nonsense, the inditer.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

40 sec read
106

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCC DDEEEEXCEE
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 687
Words 135
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 6, 10

John Bunyan

John Bunyan was an English Christian writer and preacher, who is well known for his book The Pilgrim's Progress. more…

All John Bunyan poems | John Bunyan Books

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