Analysis of Gratitude And Love To God

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



All are indebted much to thee,
But I far more than all,
From many a deadly snare set free,
And raised from many a fall.
Overwhelm me, from above,
Daily, with thy boundless love.

What bonds of gratitude I feel
No language can declare;
Beneath the oppressive weight I reel,
'Tis more than I can bear:
When shall I that blessing prove,
To return thee love for love?

Spirit of charity, dispense
Thy grace to every heart;
Expel all other spirits thence,
Drive self from every part;
Charity divine, draw nigh,
Break the chains in which we lie!

All selfish souls, whate'er they feign,
Have still a slavish lot;
They boast of liberty in vain,
Of love, and feel it not.
He whose bosom glows with thee,
He, and he alone, is free.

Oh blessedness, all bliss above,
When thy pure fires prevail!
Love only teaches what is love:
All other lessons fail:
We learn its name, but not its powers,
Experience only makes it ours.


Scheme ABABCC DEDEXC FGFGHH IJIJAA CKCKLL
Poetic Form Etheree  (30%)
Metre 11010111 111111 110010111 0111001 011101 1011101 1111011 110101 010010111 111111 1111101 1011111 10110001 1111001 01110101 1111001 1000111 1010111 11011011 110101 11110001 110111 1110111 1010111 11001101 1111001 11010111 110101 111111110 0100101110
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 886
Words 168
Sentences 9
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 30
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 140
Words per stanza (avg) 33
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

50 sec read
75

William Cowper

William Macquarie Cowper was an Australian Anglican archdeacon and Dean of Sydney. more…

All William Cowper poems | William Cowper Books

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