Analysis of Olney Hymn 37: Temptation

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



The billows swell, the winds are high,
Clouds overcast my wintry sky;
Out of the depths to Thee I call, -
My fears are great, my strength is small.

O Lord, the pilot's part perform,
And guard and guide me through the storm;
Defend me from each threatening ill,
Control the waves, - say, 'Peace! be still.'

Amidst the roaring of the sea
My soul still hangs her hope on Thee;
Thy constant love, thy faithful care,
Is all that saves me from despair.

Dangers of every shape and name
Attend the followers of the Lamb,
Who leave the world's deceitful shore,
And leave it to return no more.

Though tempest-toss'd and half a wreck,
My Saviour through the floods I seek;
Let neither winds nor stormy main
Force back my shatter'd bark again.


Scheme AABB CCDD EEFF XXGG XXXX
Poetic Form Quatrain  (60%)
Etheree  (25%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 01010111 1101101 11011111 11111111 11010101 01011101 011111001 01011111 01010101 11110111 11011101 11111101 101100101 010100101 11010101 01110111 11010101 1110111 11011101 11110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 739
Words 137
Sentences 7
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 28
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 113
Words per stanza (avg) 27
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 08, 2023

42 sec read
131

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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