Analysis of The Hymn to Physical Pain

Rudyard Kipling 1865 (Mumbai) – 1936 (London)



Dread Mother of Forgetfulness
 Who, when Thy reign begins,
Wipest away the Soul's distress,
 And memory of her sins.

The trusty Worm that dieth not--
 The steadfast Fire also,
By Thy contrivance are forgot
 In a completer woe.

Thine are the lidless eyes of night
 That stare upon our tears,
Through certain hours which in our sight
 Exceed a thousand years:

Thine is the thickness of the Dark
 That presses in our pain,
As Thine the Dawn that bids us mark
 Life's grinning face again.

Thine is the weariness outworn
 No promise shall relieve,
That says at eve, "Would God 'twere morn"
 At morn, "Would God 'twere eve!"

And when Thy tender mercies cease
 And life unvexed is due,
Instant upon the false release
The Worm and Fire renew.

Wherefore we praise Thee in the deep,
 And on our beds we pray
For Thy return that Thou may'st keep
 The Pains of Hell at bay!


Scheme AAAA BABX CACA DEDX EFXF AGAG HIHI
Poetic Form Quatrain  (71%)
Metre 11011 111101 1010101 0100101 0101111 011010 11010101 0011 1101111 1101101 1101010101 010101 11010101 1100101 11011111 110101 1101001 110101 11111111 111111 01110101 01111 10010101 0101001 1111001 0110111 110111111 011111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 842
Words 158
Sentences 7
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) 95
Words per stanza (avg) 22
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 06, 2023

48 sec read
102

Rudyard Kipling

Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English short-story writer, poet, and novelist chiefly remembered for his tales and poems of British soldiers in India and his tales for children. more…

All Rudyard Kipling poems | Rudyard Kipling Books

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