Analysis of Universal Prayer

Alexander Pope 1688 (London) – 1744 (Twickenham)



Father of all! In every age,
  In ev'ry clime ador'd,
By saint, by savage, and by sage,
  Jehovah, Jove, or Lord!

Thou Great First Cause, least understood,
  Who all my sense confin'd
To know but this, that Thou art good,
  And that myself am blind:

Yet gave me, in this dark estate,
  To see the good from ill;
And, binding Nature fast in Fate,
  Left free the human Will.

What Conscience dictates to be done,
  Or warns me not to do;
This teach me more than Hell to shun,
  That more than Heav'n pursue.

What blessings thy free bounty gives
  Let me not cast away;
For God is paid when man receives;
  T' enjoy is to obey.

Yet not to earth's contracted span
  Thy goodness let me bound,
Or think thee Lord alone of man,
  When thousand worlds are round.

Let not this weak, unknowing hand
  Presume thy bolts to throw,
And teach damnation round the land
  On each I judge thy foe.

If I am right, thy grace impart,
  Still in the right to stay;
If I am wrong, O teach my heart
  To find that better way.

Save me alike from foolish Pride
  Or impious Discontent,
At aught thy wisdom has denied,
  Or aught that goodness lent.

Teach me to feel another's woe,
  To right the fault I see:
That mercy I to others show,
  That mercy show to me.

Mean tho' I am, not wholly so,
  Since quicken'd by thy breath;
O lead me whereso'er I go,
  Thro' this day's life or death!

This day be bread and peace my lot:
  All else beneath the sun
Though know'st if best bestow'd or not,
  And let Thy will be done.

To Thee, whose temple is of Space,
  Whose altar earth, sea, skies,
One chorus let all Beings raise!
  All Nature's incense rise!


Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH XIXI JKJK LMLM NINI OPOP MQMQ MRMR SGSG XTXT
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 101101001 01101 11110011 010111 1111101 111101 11111111 01111 11101101 110111 01010101 110101 11001111 111111 11111111 111101 11011101 111101 11111101 1011101 11111001 110111 11110111 110111 11110101 011111 01010101 111111 11111101 100111 11111111 111101 11011101 1010001 11110101 111101 11110101 110111 11011101 110111 11111101 110111 111111 111111 11110111 110101 111110111 011111 11110111 110111 11011101 110011
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,632
Words 306
Sentences 15
Stanzas 13
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 52
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 92
Words per stanza (avg) 23
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 17, 2023

1:35 min read
252

Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) is regarded as one of the greatest English poets, and the foremost poet of the early eighteenth century. He is best known for his satirical and discursive poetry, including The Rape of the Lock, The Dunciad, and An Essay on Criticism, as well as for his translation of Homer. more…

All Alexander Pope poems | Alexander Pope Books

1 fan

Discuss this Alexander Pope poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Universal Prayer" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/524/universal-prayer>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    3
    hours
    50
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Shall I compare thee to a summer's _______?
    A dream
    B ray
    C day
    D night