Analysis of Psalm 112
Isaac Watts 1674 (Southampton, Hampshire) – 1748 (Stoke Newington, Middlesex)
The blessings of the liberal man.
That man is blest who stands in awe
Of God, and loves his sacred law:
His seed on earth shall be renowned;
His house the seat of wealth shall be,
An inexhausted treasury,
And with successive honors crowned.
His lib'ral favors he extends,
To some he gives, to others lends;
A gen'rous pity fills his mind:
Yet what his charity impairs,
He saves by prudence in affairs
And thus he's just to all mankind.
His hands, while they his alms bestowed,
His glory's future harvest sowed;
The sweet remembrance of the just,
Like a green root, revives and bears
A train of blessings for his heirs,
When dying nature sleeps in dust.
Beset with threat'ning dangers round,
Unmoved shall he maintain his ground;
His conscience holds his courage up:
The soul that's filled with virtue's light,
Shines brightest in affliction's night,
And sees in darkness beams of hope.
[Ill tidings never can surprise
His heart that fixed on God relies,
Though waves and tempests roar around:
Safe on the rock he sits, and sees
The shipwreck of his enemies,
And all their hope and glory drowned.
The wicked shall his triumph see,
And gnash their teeth in agony,
To find their expectations crossed;
They and their envy, pride, and spite,
Sink down to everlasting night,
And all their names in darkness lost.]
Scheme | X XXABBA CCDEED XXFEEF AAXGGX HHAIIA BBJGGJ |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 010101001 11111101 11011101 11111101 11011111 11100 01010101 1110101 11111101 0110111 11110001 11110001 01111111 11111101 1110101 01010101 10110101 01110111 11010101 01111101 01110111 11011101 0111111 110011 01010111 11010101 11111101 1101101 11011101 01011100 01110101 01011101 01110100 1110101 10110101 1110101 01110101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,285 |
Words | 232 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 1, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 |
Lines Amount | 37 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 148 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 33 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:12 min read
- 127 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Psalm 112" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 12 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/19634/psalm-112>.
Discuss this Isaac Watts poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In