Analysis of Hymn of Joy

Henry Van Dyke 1852 (Germantown, Pennsylvania) – 1933 (Princeton, New Jersey)



To the music of Beethoven's ninth symphony

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee,
Praising Thee their sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Centre of unbroken praise:
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Blooming meadow, flashing sea,
Chanting bird and flowing fountain,
Call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Well-spring of the joy of living,
Ocean-depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, --
All who live in love are Thine:
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the Joy Divine.

Mortals join the mighty chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
Father-love is reigning o'er us,
Brother-love binds man to man.
Ever singing march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife;
Joyful music lifts us sunward
In the triumph song of life.


Scheme A ABABCDCD AEAEFAFA GHGHIJIJ CKCKLMLM
Poetic Form
Metre 101011001100 10101011 1110111 101110011 1011101 10111010 1011101 1010101 1110111 11111011 10100111 10101011 1010101 10101010 101101 10101010 1110101 11100010 1010101 11101110 1011101 1101011010 1110111 11111110 1110101 10101010 1010101 101110101 1011111 10101110 1000111 10101110 0010111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,066
Words 187
Sentences 8
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 1, 8, 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 33
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 167
Words per stanza (avg) 37
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 08, 2023

56 sec read
163

Henry Van Dyke

Henry Jackson van Dyke was an American author, educator, and clergyman. more…

All Henry Van Dyke poems | Henry Van Dyke Books

0 fans

Discuss this Henry Van Dyke poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Hymn of Joy" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/18330/hymn-of-joy>.

    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.
    4
    days
    8
    hours
    47
    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 year was "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral" originally published?
    A 1761
    B 1701
    C 1789
    D 1773