Analysis of Hymn 22 part 2

Isaac Watts 1674 (Southampton, Hampshire) – 1748 (Stoke Newington, Middlesex)



Flesh and spirit.

What vain desires and passions vain
Attend this mortal clay!
Oft have they pierced my soul with pain,
And drawn my heart astray.

How have I wandered from my God!
And, following sin and shame,
In this vile world of flesh and blood
Defiled my nobler frame!

For ever blessed be thy grace
That formed my soul anew,
And made it of a heav'n-born race,
Thy glory to pursue.

My spirit holds perpetual war,
And wrestles and complains;
But views the happy moment near
That shall dissolve its chains.

Cheerful in death I close my eyes
To part with every lust;
And charge my flesh, whene'er it rise,
To leave them in the dust.

My purer spirit shall not fear
To put this body on;
Its tempting powers no more are there,
Its lusts and passions gone!


Scheme X ABAB XCXC DEDE XFGF HIHI GXXX
Poetic Form
Metre 1010 110100101 011101 11111111 011101 11110111 0100101 01111101 11101 1101111 111101 01110111 110101 110101001 010001 11010101 110111 10011111 1111001 0111111 111001 11010111 111101 110101111 110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 745
Words 145
Sentences 11
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 25
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 84
Words per stanza (avg) 20
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

44 sec read
85

Isaac Watts

Isaac Watts was an English Christian minister (Congregational), hymn writer, theologian, and logician. He was a prolific and popular hymn writer and is credited with some 750 hymns. He is recognized as the "Godfather of English Hymnody"; many of his hymns remain in use today and have been translated into numerous languages. more…

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