Analysis of Olney Hymn 53: My Soul Thirsteth For God
William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)
I thirst, but not as once I did,
The vain delights of earth to share;
Thy wounds, Emmanuel, all forbid
That I should seek my pleasures there.
It was the sight of Thy dear cross
First wean'd my soul from earthly things;
And taught me to esteem as dross
The mirth of fools and pomp of kings.
I want that grace that springs from Thee,
That quickens all things where it flows,
And makes a wretched thorn like me
Bloom as the myrtle, or the rose.
Dear fountain of delight unknown!
No longer sink below the brim;
But overflow, and pour me down
A living and life-giving stream!
For sure of all the plants that share
The notice of thy Father's eye,
None proves less grateful to His care,
Or yields him meaner fruit than I.
Scheme | ABAB CDCD EFEF XXXX BGBG |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain (80%) Etheree (30%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 11111111 01011111 110100101 11111101 11011111 11111101 01110111 01110111 11111111 11011111 01010111 11010101 11010101 11010101 1100111 01001101 11110111 01011101 11110111 11110111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 722 |
Words | 138 |
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) | 111 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 27 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 42 sec read
- 131 Views
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"Olney Hymn 53: My Soul Thirsteth For God" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 16 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/39986/olney-hymn-53%3A-my-soul-thirsteth-for-god>.
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