The Perfect Sacrifice

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



I place an offering at thy shrine,
From taint and blemish clear,
Simple and pure in its design,
Of all that I hold dear.

I yield thee back thy gifts again,
Thy gifts which most I prize;
Desirous only to retain
The notice of thine eyes.

But if, by thine adored decree,
That blessing be denied;
Resigned and unreluctant, see
My every wish subside.

Thy will in all things I approve,
Exalted or cast down;
Thy will in every state I love,
And even in thy frown.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 25, 2023

26 sec read
346

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB XCXC DEDE XFXF
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 449
Words 89
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

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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