Analysis of Peace after a Storm

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



When darkness long has veil'd my mind,
And smiling day once more appears,
Then, my Redeemer, then I find
The folly of my doubts and fears.

Straight I upbraid my wandering heart,
And blush that I should ever be
Thus prone to act so base a part,
Or harbour one hard thought of Thee!

Oh! let me then at length be taught
What I am still so slow to learn,
That God is love, and changes not,
Nor knows the shadow of a turn.

Sweet truth, and easy to repeat!
But when my faith is sharply tried,
I find myself a learner yet,
Unskilful, weak, and apt to slide.

But, O my Lord, one look from Thee
Subdues the disobedient will,
Drives doubt and discontent away,
And Thy rebellious worm is still.

Thou art as ready to forgive
As I am ready to repine;
Thou, therefore, all the praise receive;
Be shame and self-abhorrence mine.


Scheme ABAB CDCD XEXE XFXF DGXG XEXX
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 11011111 01011101 111111 01011101 11111001 01111101 11111101 11011111 11111111 11111111 11110101 1101101 11010101 11111101 1110101 110111 11111111 1001001 11000101 01010111 11110101 1111011 1110101 11010101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 821
Words 157
Sentences 9
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 105
Words per stanza (avg) 26
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 26, 2023

47 sec read
130

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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