Analysis of A Spiritual
Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872 (Dayton) – 1906
De 'cession's stahted on de gospel way,
De Capting is a-drawin' nigh:
Bettah stop a-foolin' an' a-try to pray;
Lif' up yo' haid w'en de King go by!
Oh, sinnah mou'nin' in de dusty road,
Hyeah 's de minute fu' to dry yo' eye:
Dey 's a moughty One a-comin' fu' to baih yo' load;
Lif' up yo' haid w'en de King go by!
Oh, widder weepin' by yo' husban's grave,
Hit 's bettah fu' to sing den sigh:
Hyeah come de Mastah wid de powah to save;
Lif' up yo' haid w'en de King go by!
Oh, orphans a-weepin' lak de widder do,
An' I wish you 'd tell me why:
De Mastah is a mammy an' a pappy too;
Lif' up yo' haid w'en de King go by!
Oh, Moses sot de sarpint in de wildahness
W'en de chillun had commenced to die:
Some 'efused to look, but hit cuohed de res';
Lif' up yo' haid w'en de King go by!
Bow down, bow 'way down, Bow down,
But lif' up yo' haid w'en de King go by!
Scheme | abaB cbcB dbdB ebeB fbfB xb |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11111101 111011 110110111 111110011111 11101101 1111011111 110110111111 111110011111 11011111 11111111 111111111 111110011111 1100111101 11111111 111011011 111110011111 110111011 10011110111 111111111 111110011111 1111111 1111110011111 |
Closest metre | Iambic hexameter |
Characters | 843 |
Words | 182 |
Sentences | 7 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 2 |
Lines Amount | 22 |
Letters per line (avg) | 27 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 100 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 30 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 57 sec read
- 140 Views
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"A Spiritual" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/28636/a-spiritual>.
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