Analysis of Olney Hymn 30: The Light And Glory Of The Word

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



The Spirit breathes upon the word,
And brings the truth to sight;
Precepts and promises afford
A sanctifying light.

A glory gilds the sacred page,
Majestic like the sun;
It gives a light to every age,
It gives, but borrows none.

The hand that gave it still supplies
The gracious light and heat;
His truths upon the nations rise,
They rise, but never set.

Let everlasting thanks be thine,
For such a bright display,
As makes a world of darkness shine
With beams of heavenly day.

My soul rejoices to pursue
The steps of Him I love,
Till glory break upon my view
In brighter worlds above.


Scheme XAXA BCBC DXDX EFEF GHGH
Poetic Form Quatrain  (80%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Etheree  (20%)
Metre 01010101 010111 1010001 011 01010101 010101 110111001 111101 01111101 010101 11010101 111101 1010111 110101 11011101 1111001 111101 011111 11010111 010101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 593
Words 109
Sentences 6
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 92
Words per stanza (avg) 21
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

32 sec read
58

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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