Analysis of Vanity Of Life
John Newton 1725 (Wapping, London) – 1807 (London)
The evils that beset our path
Who can prevent or cure?
We stand upon the brink of death
When most we seem secure.
If we today sweet peace possess,
It soon may be withdrawn;
Some change may plunge us in distress,
Before tomorrow's dawn.
Disease and pain invade our health
And find an easy prey;
And oft, when least expected, wealth
Takes wings and flies away.
A fever or a blow can shake
Our wisdom's boasted rule;
And of the brightest genius make
A madman or a fool.
The gourds, from which we look for fruit,
Produce us only pain;
A worm unseen attacks the root,
And all our hopes are vain.
I pity those who seek no more
Than such a world can give;
Wretched they are, and blind, and poor,
And dying while they live.
Since sin has filled the earth with woe,
And creatures fade and die;
Lord wean our hearts from things below,
And fix our hopes on high.
Scheme | XAXA BCBC DEDE FGFG HIHI XXXX JKJK |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (86%) |
Metre | 010101101 110111 11010111 111101 11011101 111101 11111001 01011 010101101 011101 01110101 110101 01010111 101101 01010101 01101 01111111 011101 01010101 0110111 11011111 110111 10110101 010111 11110111 010101 111011101 0110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 838 |
Words | 165 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 94 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 23 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 50 sec read
- 88 Views
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