Analysis of Peace
George Herbert 1593 (Montgomery) – 1633 (Bemerton)
Sweet Peace, where dost thou dwell? I humbly crave,
Let me once know.
I sought thee in a secret cave,
And ask'd, if Peace were there,
A hollow wind did seem to answer, No:
Go seek elsewhere.
I did; and going did a rainbow note:
Surely, thought I,
This is the lace of Peace's coat:
I will search out the matter.
But while I looked the clouds immediately
Did break and scatter.
Then went I to a garden and did spy
A gallant flower,
The crown-imperial: Sure, said I,
Peace at the root must dwell.
But when I digged, I saw a worm devour
What showed so well.
At length I met a rev'rend good old man;
Whom when for Peace
I did demand, he thus began:
There was a Prince of old
At Salem dwelt, who lived with good increase
Of flock and fold.
He sweetly lived; yet sweetness did not save
His life from foes.
But after death out of his grave
There sprang twelve stalks of wheat;
Which many wond'ring at, got some of those
To plant and set.
It prospered strangely, and did soon disperse
Through all the earth:
For they that taste it do rehearse
That virtue lies therein;
A secret virtue, bringing peace and mirth
By flight of sin.
Take of this grain, which in my garden grows,
And grows for you;
Make bread of it: and that repose
And peace, which ev'ry where
With so much earnestness you do pursue,
Is only there.
Scheme | ABACBC DEDFXF EFEGFG HI HJIJ AKAXKX LMLNMN KOKCOC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111111101 1111 11100101 011101 0101111101 111 110101011 1011 1101111 1111010 11110101000 11010 1111010011 01010 010100111 110111 11111101010 1111 111101111 1111 11011101 110111 1101111101 1101 1101110111 1111 11011111 111111 1101111111 1101 1101001101 1101 11111101 110101 0101010101 1111 1111101101 0111 11110101 01111 1111001101 1101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,269 |
Words | 252 |
Sentences | 13 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 2, 4, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 42 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 125 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 31 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 28, 2023
- 1:17 min read
- 482 Views
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"Peace" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/15368/peace>.
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