Analysis of Thy Will Be Done
John Greenleaf Whittier 1807 (Haverhill) – 1892 (Hampton Falls)
WE see not, know not; all our way
Is night, — with Thee alone is day:
From out the torrent's troubled drift,
Above the storm our prayers we lift,
Thy will be done!
The flesh may fail, the heart may faint,
But who are we to make complaint,
Or dare to plead, in times like these,
The weakness of our love of ease?
Thy will be done!
We take with solemn thankfulness
Our burden up, nor ask it less,
And count it joy that even we
May suffer, serve, or wait for Thee,
Whose will be done!
Though dim as yet in tint and line,
We trace Thy picture's wise design,
And thank Thee that our age supplies
Its dark relief of sacrifice.
Thy will be done!
And if, in our unworthiness,
Thy sacrificial wine we press;
If from Thy ordeal's heated bars
Our feet are seamed with crimson scars,
Thy will be done!
If, for the age to come, this hour
Of trial hath vicarious power,
And, blest by Thee, our present pain,
Be Liberty's eternal gain,
Thy will be done!
Strike, Thou the Master, we Thy keys,
The anthem of the destinies!
The minor of Thy loftier strain,
Our hearts shall breathe the old refrain,
Thy will be done!
Scheme | aabbCddeeCefggchhijCefkkCllmmCeemmC |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 111111101 11110111 1101101 010110111 1111 01110111 11111101 11110111 010110111 1111 111101 101011111 01111101 11011111 1111 11110101 11110101 011110101 1101110 1111 010101 1010111 1111101 101111101 1111 110111110 1101010010 011110101 11000101 1111 11010111 01010100 010111001 101110101 1111 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,074 |
Words | 213 |
Sentences | 11 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 35 |
Lines Amount | 35 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 839 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 211 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 16, 2023
- 1:05 min read
- 111 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Thy Will Be Done" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/23236/thy-will-be-done>.
Discuss this John Greenleaf Whittier poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In