This is an analysis of The Temper by George Herbert.

How should I praise thee, Lord! how should my rhymes
Gladly engrave thy love in steel,…

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Structure

  • Rhyme scheme: abab cbcb dede XbXb fcfc dgdgXdcdc
  • Stanza lengths: 4,4,4,4,4,9,
  • Metre: 1111111111 10011101 01111101 111101 1110110111 01110101 01110101 010111 1111010101 11000101 01110111 011111 1111011111 01010101 01110001 111101 1111111111 11111101 10010111 110111 1111111101 111111110 00110011 0101010 1011010101 11111111 110111111 111101
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Stanzas: 7
  • Lines: 28

Repeated words/phrases

my, sometimes, i, and, thy

Anaphora

sometimes, o, thy