Analysis of Confirmation
John Keble 1792 (Fairford) – 1866 (Bournemouth)
The shadow of th' Almighty's cloud
Calm on this tents of Israel lay,
While drooping paused twelve banners proud,
Till He arise and lead this way.
Then to the desert breeze unrolled,
Cheerly the waving pennons fly,
Lion or eagle--each bright fold
A lodestar to a warrior's eye.
So should Thy champions, ere this strife
By holy hands o'ershadowed kneel,
So, fearless for their charmed life,
Bear, to this end, Thy Spirit's seal.
Steady and pure as stars that beam
In middle heaven, all mist above,
Seen deepest in this frozen stream:-
Such is their high courageous love.
And soft as pure, and warm as bright,
They brood upon life's peaceful hour,
As if the Dove that guides their flight
Shook from her plumes a downy shower.
Spirit of might and sweetness too!
Now leading on the wars of God,
Now to green isles of shade and dew
Turning the waste Thy people trod;
Draw, Holy Ghost, Thy seven-fold veil
Between us and the fires of youth;
Breathe, Holy Ghost, Thy freshening gale,
Our fevered brow in age to soothe.
And oft as sin and sorrow tire,
This hallowed hour do Thou renew,
When beckoned up the awful choir
By pastoral hands, toward Thee we drew;
When trembling at this sacred rail
We hid our eyes and held our breath,
Felt Thee how strong, our hearts how frail,
And longed to own Thee to the death.
For ever on our souls be traced
That blessing dear, that dove-like hand,
A sheltering rock in Memory's waste,
O'er-shadowing all the weary land.
Scheme | ABAB ACXC DEDE FGFG HIHI JKJK LXLX IJIJ LMLM NONO |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (90%) Etheree (35%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 0111111 111111001 11011101 11010111 1101011 101011 10110111 011011 111100111 110111 1101111 11111101 10011111 010101101 11001101 11110101 01110111 110111010 11011111 110101010 10110101 11010111 11111101 10011101 110111011 011001011 110111001 101010111 011101010 110101101 110101010 1100101111 110011101 1110101101 111110111 01111101 110110111 11011111 01001011 1010010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,456 |
Words | 263 |
Sentences | 10 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 113 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 26 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:21 min read
- 121 Views
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"Confirmation" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/23558/confirmation>.
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