Analysis of A Vision Of Repentance
Charles Lamb 1775 (Inner Temple, London) – 1834 (Edmonton, London)
I saw a famous fountain, in my dream,
Where shady path-ways to a valley led;
A weeping willow lay upon that stream,
And all around the fountain brink were spread
Wide branching trees, with dark green leaf rich clad,
Forming a doubtful twilight-desolate and sad.
The place was such, that whoso enter'd in,
Disrobed was of every earthly thought,
And straight became as one that knew not sin,
Or to the world's first innocence was brought;
Enseem'd it now, he stood on holy ground,
In sweet and tender melancholy wrapt around.
A most strange calm stole o'er my soothed sprite;
Long time I stood, and longer had I staid,
When, lo! I saw, saw by the sweet moon-light,
Which came in silence o'er that silent shade,
Where, near the fountain, something like despair
Made, of that weeping willow, garlands for her hair.
And eke with painful fingers she inwove
Many an uncouth stem of savage thorn-
'The willow garland, that was for her love,
And these her bleeding temples would adorn.'
With sighs her heart nigh burst, salt tears fast fell,
As mournfully she bended o'er that sacred well.
To whom when I addrest myself to speak,
She lifted up her eyes, and nothing said;
The delicate red came mantling o'er her cheek,
And, gath'ring up her loose attire, she fled
To the dark covert of that woody shade,
And in her goings seem'd a timid gentle maid.
Revolving in my mind what this should mean,
And why that lovely lady plained so;
Perplex'd in thought at that mysterious scene,
And doubting if 'twere best to stay or go,
I cast mine eyes in wistful gaze around,
When from the shades came slow a small and plaintive sound.
'Psyche am I, who love to dwell
In these brown shades, this woody dell,
Where never busy mortal came,
Till now, to pry upon my shame.
At thy feet what thou dost see
The waters of repentance be,
Which, night and day, I must augment
With tears, like a true penitent,
If haply so my day of grace
Be not yet past; and this lone place,
O'er-shadowy, dark, excludeth hence
All thoughts but grief and penitence.'
'Why dost thou weep, thou gentle maid!
And wherefore in this barren shade
Thy hidden thoughts with sorrow feed?
Can thing so fair repentance need?'
'O! I have done a deed of shame,
And tainted is my virgin fame,
And stain'd the beauteous maiden white,
In which my bridal robes were dight.'
'And who the promised spouse, declare:
And what those bridal garments were.'
'Severe and saintly righteousness
Compos'd the clear white bridal dress;
Jesus, the son of Heaven's high king,
Bought with his blood the marriage ring.
A wretched sinful creature, I
Deem'd lightly of that sacred tie,
Gave to a treacherous world my heart,
And play'd the foolish wanton's part.
Soon to these murky shades I came,
To hide from the sun's light my shame.
And still I haunt this woody dell,
And bathe me in that healing well,
Whose waters clear have influence
From sin's foul stains the soul to cleanse;
And, night and day, I them augment,
With tears, like a true penitent,
Until, due expiation made,
And fit atonement fully paid,
The lord and bridegroom me present,
Where in sweet strains of high consent,
God's throne before, the Seraphim
Shall chaunt the extatic marriage hymn.'
'Now Christ restore thee soon'-I said,
And thenceforth all my dream was fled.
Scheme | ababcc dedeff ghghii jkjkll mbmbhh nonoff llpp qqrS ttxo hhuu ppgb ix xxvvwwxx ppllxxrShhxrax bb |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101010011 1101110101 010110111 0101010101 1101111111 10010110001 011111100 111100101 0101111111 1101110011 111111101 01010100101 0111110111 1111010111 1111110111 11010101101 1101010101 1111011101 011101011 1011111101 011011101 0101010101 1101111111 11110101101 11111111 1101010101 01001111001 01110101011 1011011101 000101010101 0100111111 011101011 01011101001 0101111111 1111010101 110111010101 10111111 01111101 11010101 11110111 1111111 01010101 11011101 11101100 1111111 11110111 10100111 111101 11111101 0101101 11011101 11110101 11110111 01011101 0101101 01110101 01010101 01110100 01010100 01011101 100111011 11110101 01010101 11011101 110100111 0101011 11110111 11101111 01111101 01101101 11011100 11110111 01011101 11101100 01111 01010101 0101110 10111101 110101 1101101 11011111 0111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 3,184 |
Words | 585 |
Sentences | 22 |
Stanzas | 15 |
Stanza Lengths | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 2, 8, 14, 2 |
Lines Amount | 82 |
Letters per line (avg) | 31 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 169 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 38 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on April 17, 2023
- 3:00 min read
- 151 Views
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"A Vision Of Repentance" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/5322/a-vision-of-repentance>.
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