Analysis of Why, When Our Sun Shines Clearest
James Clerk Maxwell 1831 (Edinburgh, Scotland) – 1879 (Cambridge, England)
Why, when our sun shines clearest,
Why, when our hopes seen nearest,
Why, when our life feels dearest,
Rises a secret pain—
Hope's perfect mirror broken—
Shadows of things unspoken-—
Why will not some sure token
Calm us to rest again?
Mixed with all earthly blessing
Lingers the fear distressing—
-Conscience within confessing
Nothing of ours is pure.
Still must such thoughts upbraid us,
Seeking our own to aid us;
God, not ourselves, hath made us;
Trusting in Him we’re sure.
Thus, from our sorrows gleaning
Thoughts of the world’s deep meaning,
Let us rejoice while leaning
Firm on our Father’s arm.
Now are we one for ever,
Joined so that none may sever,
Souls, so united, never
Faint through mischance or harm.
Scheme | XAAXBBBX CCCDEEED CCCFGGGF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11101110 11101110 11101110 100101 1011010 111010 1111110 111101 1111010 1001010 1001010 1011011 111111 10101111 11001111 100101 1110101 1101110 1101110 1110101 1111110 1111110 1101010 11111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 714 |
Words | 125 |
Sentences | 6 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8 |
Lines Amount | 24 |
Letters per line (avg) | 23 |
Words per line (avg) | 5 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 187 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 41 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 21, 2023
- 37 sec read
- 62 Views
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"Why, When Our Sun Shines Clearest" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20089/why%2C-when-our-sun-shines-clearest>.
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