Analysis of The Pillar of the Cloud

John Henry Newman 1801 (London) – 1890 (Edgbaston)



Lead, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom,
            Lead Thou me on!
    The night is dark, and I am far from home --
            Lead Thou me on!
    Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
    The distant scene, -- one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor pray'd that Thou
            Should'st lead me on.
    I loved to choose and see my path; but now
          Lead Thou me on!
  I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
  Pride ruled my will: remember not past years.

So long Thy power hath blest me, sure it still
          Will lead me on,
  O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
          The night is gone;
  And with the morn those angel faces smile
  Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.


Scheme xAxAbb cacAdd eaexff
Poetic Form
Metre 110101001001 1111 0111011111 1111 1111111111 0101110111 1111011111 11111 1111011111 1111 1101010111 1111010111 11110111111 1111 101011010101 0111 0101110101 1111110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 733
Words 135
Sentences 8
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 18
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 160
Words per stanza (avg) 44
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 01, 2023

41 sec read
285

John Henry Newman

Blessed John Henry Newman CO, also referred to as Cardinal Newman, was an important figure in the religious history of England in the 19th century. more…

All John Henry Newman poems | John Henry Newman Books

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