Analysis of An Ode For St. Cecilia's Day
Joseph Addison 1672 (Milston) – 1719 (Holland House, London)
I.
Prepare the hallow'd strain, My Muse,
Thy softest sounds and sweetest numbrs chuse;
the bright Cecilia's praise rehearse,
In warbling words,a nd glittering verse,
that smootly run into a song,
and gently die away,and melt upon the tongue.
II.
First let the sprightly violin
The joyful melody begin,
And none of all her strings be mute,
while the sharp sound and shriller lay
In sweet harmonious notes decay,
Soften and mellow'd by the flute.
'The Flute that sweetly can complain,
'Disolve the frozen nymph's disdain;
'Panting sympathy impart,
'Till she partake of her lover's smart.'
C H O R U S.
III.
Next, let the solemn organ join
Religious airs, and strains divine,
Such as may lift us to the skies,
And set all heaven before our eyes:
'Such as may lift us to the skies;
'So far at least till they
'Descend with kind surprise.
'And meet our pious harmony half-way.'
IV.
Let then the trumpet's piersing sound
Our ravish'd ears with pleasure wound:
The Soul o'er-powering with delight,
As, with a quick uncommon ray,
A streak of lightning clears the day,
And flashes on the sight.
Let echo too perform her part,
Prolonging every note with art,
And in a low expiring strain
Play all the concert o'er again.
V.
Such were the tuneful notes that hung
On bright Cecilia's charming tongue:
Notes that sacred heats inspir'd,
and with religious ardour fir'd:
The love-sick youth, that long suppress'd
His smother'd passion in hisbreast,
No sooner heard the warbling dame,
But, by the secret influence turn'd,
He felt a new diviner flame,
And with devotion burn'd.
With ravish'd soul,a nd looks amaz'd,
Upon her beauteous face he gaz'd;
Nor made his amorous complaint:
In vain her eyes his heart had charm'd.
Her heavenly voice her eyes disarm'd,
And chang'd the lover to a saint.
G R A N D C H O R U S.
VI.
And how the choir compleat rejoices,
With trembling strings and melting voices,
The tuneful ferment rises high,
And works with mingled melody:
Quick divisions run their rounds,
A thousand trills and quivering sounds
In airy circles o'er us fly.
Till wafted by a gentle breeze,
They faint and languish by degrees,
And at a distance die.
Scheme | abbccxd aeefggfhhii j axxKkKgkg lmmnggniihx lddooxfpqpqrr stts j abxaxuu avva |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1 01010111 110101011 011101 0100111001 1110101 0101110101 1 11010001 01010001 01110111 1011011 010100101 10010101 01110101 1010101 1010001 110110101 111111 1 11010101 01010101 11111101 0111001101 11111101 111111 011101 01101010011 1 110111 10111101 0110100101 11010101 01110101 010101 11010101 010100111 00010101 110101001 1 10010111 111101 11101010 01010110 01111101 1101001 110101001 110101001 110111 010101 1111101 0101111 11110001 01011111 010010101 01010101 11011111111 1 0101011 1100101010 01001101 01110100 1010111 010101001 010101011 11010101 11010101 010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,088 |
Words | 381 |
Sentences | 21 |
Stanzas | 10 |
Stanza Lengths | 7, 11, 1, 9, 11, 13, 4, 1, 7, 4 |
Lines Amount | 68 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 166 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 37 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:00 min read
- 120 Views
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