Analysis of Hymn, Imitated from The French

Helen Maria Williams 1761 (London) – 1827



I.
CALM all the tumults that invade
Our souls, and lend Thy pow'rful aid.
O Source of Mercy! soothe our pains,
And break, O break our cruel chains!
To Thee the captive pours his cry,
To Thee the mourner loves to fly;
The incense of our tears receive,
'Tis all the incense we can give.

Eternal Power, our cause defend,
O God! of innocence the friend!
Near Thee for ever she resides,
In Thee for ever she confides;
Thou know'st the secrets of the breast,
Thou know'st th' oppressor and th' opprest;
Do Thou our wrongs with pity see,
Avert a doom offending Thee!

But should the murd'rer's arm prevail,
Should tyranny our lives assail,
Unmov'd, triumphant, scorning death,
We'll bless Thee with our latest breath!-
The hour, the glorious hour will come,
That consecrates the patriot's tomb;
And, with the pang our mem'ry claims,
Our country will avenge our names.


Scheme ABBCCAAXX DDEEXBFF GGHHXXII
Poetic Form Tetractys  (20%)
Metre 1 1101101 10101111 111101101 011110101 11010111 11010111 001110101 11001111 0101010101 11110001 11110101 01110101 111010101 111110100111 111011101 01010101 1101101 110010101 0101011 111110101 01001001011 1101001 01011011 1010101101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 853
Words 156
Sentences 13
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 9, 8, 8
Lines Amount 25
Letters per line (avg) 27
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 221
Words per stanza (avg) 50
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

49 sec read
64

Helen Maria Williams

Helen Maria Williams was a British novelist poet and translator of French-language works A religious dissenter she was a supporter of abolitionism and of the ideals of the French Revolution she was imprisoned in Paris during the Reign of Terror but nonetheless spent much of the rest of her life in France A controversial figure in her own time the young Williams was favorably portrayed in a 1787 poem by William Wordsworth but she was portrayed by other writers as irresponsibly politically radical and even as sexually wanton more…

All Helen Maria Williams poems | Helen Maria Williams Books

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