Analysis of Upon Over-Much Niceness

John Bunyan 1628 (Elstow, Bedfordshire) – 1688 (London)



Tis much to see how over nice some are
About the body and household affair,
While what's of worth they slightly pass it by,
Not doing, or doing it slovenly.
Their house must be well furnished, be in print,
Meanwhile their soul lies ley, has no good in't.
Its outside also they must beautify,
When in it there's scarce common honesty.
Their bodies they must have tricked up and trim,
Their inside full of filth up to the brim.
Upon their clothes there must not be a spot,
But is their lives more than one common blot.
How nice, how coy are some about their diet,
That can their crying souls with hogs'-meat quiet.
All drest must to a hair be, else 'tis naught,
While of the living bread they have no thought.
Thus for their outside they are clean and nice,
While their poor inside stinks with sin and vice.


Scheme ABCDEDCDFFGGHHIIJJ
Poetic Form
Metre 1111110111 010100101 1111110111 1101101100 1111110101 1111111101 111101110 1011110100 1101111101 1011111101 0111111101 1111111101 11111101110 11110111110 1111011111 1101011111 1111111101 1110111101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 796
Words 153
Sentences 9
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 18
Lines Amount 18
Letters per line (avg) 35
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 627
Words per stanza (avg) 151
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

47 sec read
62

John Bunyan

John Bunyan was an English Christian writer and preacher, who is well known for his book The Pilgrim's Progress. more…

All John Bunyan poems | John Bunyan Books

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