Analysis of Verses upon the Burning of our House, July 18th, 1666
Anne Bradstreet 1612 (Northampton) – 1672 (Andover)
In silent night when rest I took,
For sorrow near I did not look,
I waken'd was with thund'ring noise
And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.
That fearful sound of 'fire' and 'fire,'
Let no man know is my Desire.
I starting up, the light did spy,
And to my God my heart did cry
To straighten me in my Distress
And not to leave me succourless.
Then coming out, behold a space
The flame consume my dwelling place.
And when I could no longer look,
I blest his grace that gave and took,
That laid my goods now in the dust.
Yea, so it was, and so 'twas just.
It was his own; it was not mine.
Far be it that I should repine,
He might of all justly bereft
But yet sufficient for us left.
When by the Ruins oft I past
My sorrowing eyes aside did cast
And here and there the places spy
Where oft I sate and long did lie.
Here stood that Trunk, and there that chest,
There lay that store I counted best,
My pleasant things in ashes lie
And them behold no more shall I.
Under the roof no guest shall sit,
Nor at thy Table eat a bit.
No pleasant talk shall 'ere be told
Nor things recounted done of old.
No Candle 'ere shall shine in Thee,
Nor bridegroom's voice ere heard shall bee.
In silence ever shalt thou lie.
Adieu, Adieu, All's Vanity.
Then straight I 'gin my heart to chide:
And did thy wealth on earth abide,
Didst fix thy hope on mouldring dust,
The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?
Raise up thy thoughts above the sky
That dunghill mists away may fly.
Thou hast a house on high erect
Fram'd by that mighty Architect,
With glory richly furnished
Stands permanent, though this be fled.
It's purchased and paid for too
By him who hath enough to do.
A price so vast as is unknown,
Yet by his gift is made thine own.
There's wealth enough; I need no more.
Farewell, my pelf; farewell, my store.
The world no longer let me love;
My hope and Treasure lies above.
Scheme | AABCDDEEFBGGAAHHIIJJKKEELLEEMMNNOOEOPPHHEEQQRSTTUUVVWW |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 01011111 11011111 111111 0111101 1101110010 111111010 11010111 01111111 11010101 011111 11010101 01011101 01111101 11111101 11111001 11110111 11111111 1111111 11111001 11010111 11010111 1110111 01010101 11110111 11110111 11111101 11010101 01011111 10011111 11110101 11011111 11010111 11011101 1111111 01010111 01011100 11111111 01111101 1111111 01111111 11110101 1110111 11011101 1111010 1101010 11001111 1100111 11110111 01111101 11111111 11011111 111111 01110111 11010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,982 |
Words | 366 |
Sentences | 24 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 54 |
Lines Amount | 54 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,426 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 363 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:51 min read
- 129 Views
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"Verses upon the Burning of our House, July 18th, 1666" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/3123/verses-upon-the-burning-of-our-house%2C-july-18th%2C-1666>.
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