Analysis of To The Rev. J. Gilpin, On His Improved Edition Of The "Pilgrim'S Progress."
When, Reverend Sir, your good design,
To clothe our Pilgrim gravely fine,
And give him gentler mien and gait,
First reached my ear, his doubtful fate
With dread suspense my mind oppressed,
Awoke my fears, and broke my rest.
Yet, still, had England said, "You're free,
Choose whom you will," dear sir, to thee,
For dress beseeming modest worth,
I would have led our pilgrim forth.
But when I viewed him o'er and o'er,
And scrutinized the weeds he wore,
And marked his mien and marked his gait,
And saw him trample sin, elate,
And heard him speak, though coarse and plain,
His mighty truths in nervous strain,
I could not gain my own consent
To your acknowledged good intent.
I had my fears, lest honest John,
When he beheld his polished son
(If saints ought earthly care to know),
Would take him for some Bond Street beau,
Or for that thing, it wants a name,
Devoid of truth, of sense and shame,
Which smooths its chin and licks its lip,
And mounts the pulpit with a skip,
Then turning round its pretty face,
To smite each fair one in the place,
Relaxes half to vacant smile,
And aims with trope and polished style,
And lisp affected, to pourtray
Its silly self in colours gay,
Its fusty moral stuff t' unload,
And preach itself, and not its God.
Thus, wishing, doubting, trembling led,
I oped your book, your Pilgrim read.
As rising Phoebus lights the skies,
And fading night before him flies,
Till darkness to his cave is hurled
And golden day has gilt the world,
Nor vapour, cloud, nor mist is seen
To sully all the pure serene:
So, as I read each modest line,
Increasing light began to shine,
My cloudy fears and doubts gave way,
Till all around shone Heaven's own day.
And when I closed the book, thought I,
Should Bunyan leave his throne on high;
He'd own the kindness you have done
To Christian, his orphan son:
And smiling as once Eden smiled,
Would thus address his holy child:
"My son, ere I removed from hence,
I spared nor labour nor expense
To gain for you the heavenly prize,
And teach you to make others wise.
But still, though inward worth was thine,
You lay a diamond in the mine:
You wanted outward polish bright
To show your pure intrinsic light.
Some knew your worth, and seized the prize,
And now are throned in the skies:
Whilst others swilled with folly's wine,
But trod the pearl like the swine,
In ignorance sunk in their grave,
And thence, where burning oceans lave.
Now polished bright, your native flame
And inward worth are still the same;
A flaming diamond still you glow,
In brighter hues: then cheery go,
More suited by a skilful hand
To do your father's high command:
Fit ornament for sage or clown,
Or beggar's rags, or kingly crown.
Scheme | AABBCCDDXX XXBBEEFF XGHHIIJJKKLLDMXXNN OOPPQQAAMM RRGGSS TTOOAAUUOOAAVVIIHHWWXX |
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Poetic Form | |
Metre | 110011101 111010101 01110101 11111101 11011101 01110111 11110111 11111111 111101 111110101 1111110010 0100111 01110111 01110101 01111101 11010101 11111101 11010101 11111101 1111101 11110111 11111111 11111101 01111101 11110111 01010101 11011101 11111001 01011101 01110101 0101011 1101011 11101101 01010111 110101001 11111101 11010101 01010111 11011111 01011101 1111111 11010101 11111101 01010111 11010111 110111011 01110111 11011111 11010111 1101101 01011101 1111101 11110111 1111101 111101001 01111101 11110111 11010001 11010101 11110101 11110101 0111001 1101111 1101101 01001011 01110101 11011101 01011101 01010111 01011101 1101011 11110101 11001111 1111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 2,610 |
Words | 491 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 6 |
Stanza Lengths | 10, 8, 18, 10, 6, 22 |
Lines Amount | 74 |
Letters per line (avg) | 28 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 346 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 81 |
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:29 min read
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"To The Rev. J. Gilpin, On His Improved Edition Of The "Pilgrim'S Progress."" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/56363/to-the-rev.-j.-gilpin%2C-on-his-improved-edition-of-the-%22pilgrim%27s-progress.%22>.
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