Analysis of The Worldling

John Newton 1725 (Wapping, London) – 1807 (London)



My barns are full, my stores increase,
And now, for many years,
Soul, eat and drink, and take thine ease,
Secure from wants and fears.

Thus while a worldling boasted once,
As many now presume;
He heard the Lord himself pronounce
His sudden, aweful doom.

This night, vain fool, thy soul must pass
Into a world unknown;
And who shall then the stores possess
Which thou hast called thine own.

Thus blinded mortals fondly scheme
For happiness below;
Till death disturb the pleasing dream,
And they awake to woe.

Ah! who can speak the vast dismay
That fills the sinner's mind;
When torn, by death's strong hand, away,
He leaves his all behind.

Wretches, who cleave to earthly things,
But are not rich to God;
Their dying hour is full of stings,
And hell their dark abode.

Dear Saviour, make us timely wise,
Thy gospel to attend;
That we may live above the skies,
When this poor life shall end.


Scheme XAXA XBXB XCXC DEDE FGFG HXHX IJIJ
Poetic Form Quatrain  (86%)
Metre 11111101 011101 11010111 011101 1101101 110101 11010101 11011 11111111 010101 01110101 111111 11010101 110001 11010101 010111 11110101 11011 11111101 111101 1111101 111111 110101111 011101 1111101 110101 11110101 111111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 875
Words 162
Sentences 9
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 28
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 99
Words per stanza (avg) 23
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

49 sec read
123

John Newton

Rev Dr John A Newton CBE is a prominent Methodist minister, author, historian and former President of the Methodist Conference. more…

All John Newton poems | John Newton Books

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