Analysis of Upon A Snail

John Bunyan 1628 (Elstow, Bedfordshire) – 1688 (London)



She goes but softly, but she goeth sure,
She stumbles not, as stronger creatures do.
Her journey's shorter, so she may endure
Better than they which do much farther go.
She makes no noise, but stilly seizeth on
The flower or herb appointed for her food,
The which she quietly doth feed upon
While others range and glare, but find no good.
And though she doth but very softly go,
However, 'tis not fast nor slow, but sure;
And certainly they that do travel so,
The prize they do aim at they do procure.

Although they seem not much to stir, less go,
For Christ that hunger, or from wrath that flee,
Yet what they seek for quickly they come to,
Though it doth seem the farthest off to be.
One act of faith doth bring them to that flower
They so long for, that they may eat and live,
Which, to attain, is not in others power,
Though for it a king's ransom they would give.
Then let none faint, nor be at all dismayed
That life by Christ do seek, they shall not fail
To have it; let them nothing be afraid;
The herb and flower are eaten by the snail.


Scheme ABACDXDXCACA CEBEFXFXGHGH
Poetic Form
Metre 111101111 1101110101 011011101 1011111101 11111111 01011010101 0111001101 1101011111 0111110101 101111111 0100111101 0111111101 111111111 1111011111 1111110111 1111010111 11111111110 1111111101 11011101010 1110110111 1111111101 1111111111 1111110101 01010110101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,041
Words 206
Sentences 9
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 12, 12
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 404
Words per stanza (avg) 102
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

1:02 min read
123

John Bunyan

John Bunyan was an English Christian writer and preacher, who is well known for his book The Pilgrim's Progress. more…

All John Bunyan poems | John Bunyan Books

0 fans

Discuss this John Bunyan poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

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

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Upon A Snail" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 8 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22162/upon-a-snail>.

    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!

    May 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    23
    days
    14
    hours
    31
    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?

    »
    Which female American poet, who was little-known during her lifetime, but had nearly 1800 of her poems published posthumously, rarely titled her poems?
    A Amy Lowell
    B Sylvia Plath
    C Sara Teasdale
    D Emily Dickinson