Analysis of Olney Hymn 58: True And False Comforts

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



O God, whose favorable eye,
The sin-sick soul revives,
Holy and heavenly is the joy
Thy shining presence gives.

Not such as hypocrites suppose,
Who with a graceless heart
Taste not of Thee, but drink a dose,
Prepared by Satan's art.

Intoxicating joys are theirs,
Who while they boast their light,
And seem to soar above the stars,
Are plunging into night.

Lull'd in a soft and fatal sleep,
They sin and yet rejoice;
Were they indeed the Saviour's sheep,
Would they not hear His voice?

Be mine the comforts that reclaim
The soul from Satan's power;
That make me blush for what I am,
And hate my sin the more.

'Tis joy enough, my All in All,
At Thy dear feet to lie;
Thou wilt not let me lower fall,
And none can higher fly.


Scheme AXXX XBXB XCXC DEDE XXXX FAFA
Poetic Form Quatrain  (67%)
Metre 11110001 011101 100100101 110101 1111001 110101 11111101 01111 0100111 111111 01110101 110011 10010101 110101 0101011 111111 11010101 011110 11111111 011101 11011101 111111 11111101 011101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 730
Words 138
Sentences 7
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 93
Words per stanza (avg) 23
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

42 sec read
31

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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