Olney Hymn 9: The Contrite Heart



The Lord will happiness divine
On contrite hearts bestow;
Then tell me, gracious God, is mine
A contrite heart or no?

I hear, but seem to hear in vain,
Insensible as steel;
If aught is felt, 'tis only pain,
To find I cannot feel.

I sometimes think myself inclined
To love Thee if I could;
But often feel another mind,
Averse to all that's good.

My best desires are faint and few,
I fain would strive for more;
But when I cry, 'My strength renew!'
Seem weaker than before.

Thy saints are comforted, I know,
And love Thy house of prayer;
I therefore go where others go,
But find no comfort there.

Oh make this heart rejoice or ache;
Decide this doubt for me;
And if it be not broken, break -
And heal it, if it be.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

42 sec read
73

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH BIBI JKJK
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 720
Words 141
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

William Cowper

 · 1731 · Berkhamsted

William Macquarie Cowper was an Australian Anglican archdeacon and Dean of Sydney. more…

All William Cowper poems | William Cowper Books

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