Analysis of Upon The Barren Fig-Tree In God's Vineyard

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



What, barren here! in this so good a soil?
The sight of this doth make God's heart recoil
From giving thee his blessing; barren tree,
Bear fruit, or else thine end will cursed be!
Art thou not planted by the water-side?
Know'st not thy Lord by fruit is glorified?
The sentence is, Cut down the barren tree:
Bear fruit, or else thine end will cursed be.
Hast thou been digg'd about and dunged too,
Will neither patience nor yet dressing do?
The executioner is come, O tree,
Bear fruit, or else thine end will cursed be!
He that about thy roots takes pains to dig,
Would, if on thee were found but one good fig,
Preserve thee from the axe: but, barren tree,
Bear fruit, or else thy end will cursed be!
The utmost end of patience is at hand,
'Tis much if thou much longer here doth stand.
O cumber-ground, thou art a barren tree.
Bear fruit, or else thine end will cursed be!
Thy standing nor they name will help at all;
When fruitful trees are spared, thou must fall.
The axe is laid unto thy roots, O tree!
Bear fruit, or else thine end will cursed be.


Scheme aabBccbBddbBeebbffbBggbB
Poetic Form
Metre 1101011101 0111111101 1101110101 111111111 1111010101 1111111110 0101110101 111111111 111101011 1101011101 001001111 111111111 1101111111 1111011111 0111011101 111111111 011110111 1111110111 1101110101 111111111 1101111111 110111111 0111101111 111111111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,036
Words 202
Sentences 16
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 24
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 806
Words per stanza (avg) 200
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 27, 2023

1:01 min read
53

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

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