Analysis of Psalm 35 part 1

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



v.1-9
C. M.
Prayer and faith of persecuted saints.

Now plead my cause, Almighty God,
With all the sons of strife;
And fight against the men of blood,
Who fight against my life.

Draw out thy spear and stop their way,
Lift thine avenging rod;
But to my soul in mercy say,
"I am thy Savior God!"

They plant their snares to catch my feet,
And nets of mischief spread;
Plunge the destroyers in the pit
That their own hands have made.

Let fogs and darkness hide their way,
And slipp'ry be their ground;
Thy wrath shall make their lives a prey,
And all their rage confound.

They fly like chaff before the wind,
Before thine angry breath;
The angel of the Lord behind
Pursues them down to death.

They love the road that leads to hell;
Then let the rebels die,
Whose malice is implacable
Against the Lord on high.

But if thou hast a chosen few
Amongst that impious race,
Divide them from the bloody crew,
By thy surprising grace.

Then will I raise my tuneful voice,
To make thy wonders known;
In their salvation I'll rejoice,
And bless thee for my own.


Scheme XXX ABXB CACA XXXX CDCD EFEF XGXG HIHI JKJK
Poetic Form Tetractys  (23%)
Metre 1 11 10111001 11110101 110111 01010111 110111 11110111 110101 11110101 111101 11111111 011101 10010001 111111 11010111 01111 11111101 011101 11110101 011101 01010101 011111 11011111 110101 11010100 010111 11110101 0110101 01110101 110101 11111101 111101 01010101 011111
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 1,018
Words 199
Sentences 13
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 35
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 90
Words per stanza (avg) 22
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:00 min read
68

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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