Analysis of Jehovah-Shammah

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



As birds their infant brood protect,
And spread their wings to shelter them,
Thus saith the Lord to His elect,
"So will I guard Jerusalem."

And what then is Jerusalem,
This darling object of His cares?
Where is its worth in God's esteem?
Who built it? who inhabits there?

Jehovah founded it in blood,
The blood of His incarnate Son;
There dwell the saints, once foes to God
The sinners whom He calls His own.

There, though besieged on every side,
Yet much beloved and guarded well,
From age to age they have defied
The utmost force of earth and hell.

Let earth repent, and hell despair,
This city has a sure defence;
Her name is call'd, "The Lord is there,"
And who has power to drive him hence?


Scheme AXAB BXXC XXXX DEDE CFCF
Poetic Form Quatrain  (40%)
Etheree  (35%)
Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 11110101 01111101 11011101 11110100 01110100 11010111 11110101 11110101 01010101 01110101 11011111 01011111 110111001 11010101 11111101 0111101 11010101 11010101 01110111 011101111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 724
Words 136
Sentences 10
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 20
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 108
Words per stanza (avg) 26
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

40 sec read
66

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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