Analysis of The Gospel of Mystery
Helen Hunt Jackson 1830 (Amherst, Massachusetts) – 1885 (San Francisco)
Good tidings every day,
God's messengers ride fast.
We do not hear one half they say,
There is such noise on the highway,
Where we must wait while they ride past.
Their banners blaze and shine
With Jesus Christ's dear name,
And story, how by God's design
He saves us, in His love divine,
And lifts us from our sin and shame.
Their music fills the air,
Their songs sing all of Heaven;
Their ringing trumpet peals declare
What crowns to souls who fight and dare,
And win, shall presently be given.
Their hands throw treasures round
Among the multitude.
No pause, no choice, no count, no bound,
No questioning how men are found,
If they be evil or be good.
But all the banners bear
Some words we cannot read;
And mystic echoes in the air,
Which borrow from the songs no share,
In sweetness all the songs exceed.
And of the multitude,
No man but in his hand
Holds some great gift misunderstood,
Some treasure, for whose use or good
His ignorance sees no demand.
These are the tokens lent
By immortality;
Birth-marks of our divine descent;
Sureties of ultimate intent,
God's Gospel of Eternity.
Good tidings every day.
The messengers ride fast;
Thanks be to God for all they say;
There is such noise on the highway,
Let us keep still while they ride past.
Scheme | AbaAb cdccd efeef ghggi exeex hjiij klkkl AbaAb |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Etheree (35%) Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 1101001 110011 11111111 1111101 11111111 110101 110111 01011101 11101101 011110101 110101 1111110 11010101 11111101 011100110 111101 01010 11111111 11001111 11110111 110101 111101 01010001 1110111 01010101 01010 111011 1111001 11011111 11001101 110101 10100 111100101 1110001 11010100 1101001 010011 11111111 1111101 11111111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,219 |
Words | 230 |
Sentences | 12 |
Stanzas | 8 |
Stanza Lengths | 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 122 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 29 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:10 min read
- 123 Views
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"The Gospel of Mystery" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 12 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/17087/the-gospel-of-mystery>.
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