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Anatomy of a HymnExploring the skeleton of a hymn, the choice of
poetic feet, and an assortment of poetic devices
Question:
Why does the poet choose one pattern of accent rather than another for his/her hymn?
Prosody and RhymeAll poetry is organized into “feet,” indicating that poetry “walks” or “marches.” A foot consists of a group of two or more syllables with one accented
and the others unaccented.
Iambic O God, our help in ages
past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Common Meter (C.M.) is a convenient way of saying that there are eight syllables (actually four iambic feet) in lines one and three and six syllables (three iambic feet) in lines two and four. 8 6 8 6
The most common form on English poetry is the iambic foot, consisting of an upbeat (weak) followed by an accent (strong).
Iambic O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
“The upbeat pattern before each accent allows time for an idea to start development and to reach its climax in a towering peak at the end of a series of rolling hills. It can also be likened to the roll of the ocean, a series of cresting waves ending in a gigantic wave pounding the shore.” p.13
Lovelace states that iambic movement is stately and noble and it best used for those texts which are propositional in nature (exposition).
Trochaic Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the newborn King;
or
“Christ the Lord is ris’n today!”
Saints on earth and angels say;
Trochaic is more direct than iambic and is used where directness of thought and excitement are desirable.
Trochaic is the reverse of iambic, consisting of an accent (strong) that is followed by an upbeat (weak).
Dactylic
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
.
Dactylic is quite rare in modern hymnody. Dactylic consists of one accent (strong) that is followed by two upbeats (weak). Dactylic is challenging to set due to the two final unaccented syllables.
Anapaestic ‘ Twas the night before
Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
Immortal, invisible, God only wise
(This feels dactylic after the initial “Im-” but technically anapaestic because it ends on a strong syllable.)
Anapaestic is closely related to dactylic. It consists of a by two upbeats (weak) followed by one accent (strong) .
Anapaestic is often altered by shortening a foot somewhere in the line.
The importance of
rhyme
If the rhythmic life and vitality of a hymn is created by the meter, its memorability is aided by rhyme.
Remember this about
rhyme!The good hymn writer succeeds in making rhyme sound and feel natural, not forced or obvious. The poor writer finds his thought patterns being forced into uninspired channels by overly familiar rhymes.
“eye” rhymes (also known as false rhymes)
Earth/hearth
blood/good
These false rhymes were probably never noticed by those singing, “Come, Thou Long-expected Jesus”
Jesus/release us
deliver/forever
Spirit/merit
“identities” are combinations of words which have the same consonant before the final accented vowel.
bay/obey
In a true rhyme, the consonant
that precedes the accented
vowel must be different.
“consonance” “off rhymes”
are created by having all the
consonants and vowel sounds
after the accented vowel
identical, but having the
accented vowels different.
heaven/given (eh and ih)
cunning/winning (uh and ih)
Spirit/merit (ih and eh)
“assonance” “vowel rhyme”
has an identical final accented
vowel sound, but dissimilar
subsequent sounds.
bliss/is (s and z)praise/grace (z and s)
Remember this about
rhyme!While an occasional false rhyme can be used without much damage, the widespread acceptance of assonance and consonance as a replacement for rhyme is unlikely in hymnody. Why? They are not a sufficient aid to one’s memory.
Remember this about
rhyme!
Rhyming patterns: the usual rhyming patterns are found at the ends of lines of poetry. (A single line is technically a verse; a series of lines makes a stanza.)
aabb & abab
The star proclaims the King is here;
But, Herod, why this senseless fear?
For He who offers heavenly birth
Seeks not the kingdoms of this earth.
(LSB 399:1)
Hail to the Lord’s anointed,
Great David’s greater Son!
Hail, in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
(LSB 398:1a)
In a four-line stanza, the best poets will have two pairs of rhymes—rhyming couplets or cross rhyme.
abcb Swiftly pass the clouds of glory,
Heaven’s voice, the dazzling light;
Moses and Elijah vanish;
Christ alone commands the height!
(LSB 416:1a)
O Lord, throughout these forty days
You prayed and kept the fast;
Inspire repentance for our sin,
And free us from our past.
(LSB 418:1)
It takes more skill to rhyme all pairs of lines and it is obviously easier to only rhyme lines two and four. Many hymn writers take the “easy” way out.
aaa
For all the saints whom from their labors rest, Who Thee by faith before the world confessed, Thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Alleluia! Alleluia!
(LSB 677:1)
A tercet is a three-lined stanza in which all the last words rhyme.
aabba
There once was a lady of Niger Who smiled as she rode on a tiger. They returned from the ride With the lady insideAnd the smile on the face of the tiger.
Internal rhyme is another poetic device as occasionally a poet finds it possible to break up a long verse into two rhyming parts. One example is a limerick.
aabccb
The foxes found rest, and the birds their nest
In the shade of the forest tree; But Thy couch was the sod, O Thou Son
of God, In the deserts of Galilee.
Internal rhyme may be helpful to one’s memory, but it also runs the danger of making a text sound flippant.
abcbadcd
Christ sits at God’s right hand,His saving work complete,To reign till ev’ry foe will lieBeneath His feet—All that the Father planned,The Son sought to fulfill,When first He said, “Lord here
am ITo do Your will.” (LSB
564:1)
Stanzas of more than four lines offer a number of possibilities in rhyming schemes.
ababccd
All Christians who have been baptized,Who know the God of heaven,And in whose daily life is prizedThe name of God once given:Consider now what God has done,The gifts He gives to ev’ryone,Baptized into Christ Jesus!
(LSB 596:1)
Stanzas of more than four lines offer a number of possibilities in rhyming schemes.
Masculine, feminine and triple rhymes
When only the last word is rhymed, the rhyming is called single or masculine: earth/birth. With two syllables it is called double or feminine: singing/ringing. Triple rhymes are rare: holiness/lowliness.
People are the final critics
“The hymnal is not a book to be admired primarily for its poetry, although great hymns are always masterfully shaped as poetry. It is a book of devotion for the people and they are the final critics.”
p. 22
Poetry the handmaid of
piety“That which is infinitely more momentous than the spirit of Poetry is the spirit of Piety…It is in this view chiefly that I would recommend it to every truly pious reader, as a means of raising or quickening the spirit of devotion; of confirming his faith; of enlivening his hope; and of kindling or increasing his love to God and man. When poetry thus keeps its place, as the handmaid of Piety, it shall attain, not a poor perishable wreath, but a crown that fadeth not away.” John Wesley, “Preface to a Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists.” 1780
p. 23
Iambic hymns Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does its successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
(LSB 832:1)
“How shall they hear,” who have not heard,
News of a Lord who loved and came;
Nor known His reconciling word,
Nor learned to trust a Savior’s name?
(LSB 831:1)
(See page 1007 in Lutheran Service Book for metrical index of Long Meter tunes.)
Long Meter (8 8 8 8)
The rhyme scheme is either aabb (rhyming couplets) or abab (cross rhyming). Rhyming couplets can be sing-songy and tend to give a false sense of completion at the end of line two. Cross-rhyming carries the singer along with a sense of expectancy, even a guessing, for the final two lines.
Iambic hymns Splendor paternae gloriae,
De luce lucem proferens,
Lux lucis et fons luminis,
Dies diem illuminans.
Ambrose of Milan (340-397)
O Splendor of God’s glory bright,
O Thou that bringest light from light,
O Light of Light, O living spring,
O Day, all days illumining: Alleluia!
(LSB 874:1)
(See page 1007 in Lutheran Service Book for metrical index of Long Meter tunes.)
Long Meter (8 8 8 8)
Long meter, with eight syllables for each line of poetry, lends itself to majestic subjects and stately treatment of a topic. Here is the Latin hymn by Ambrose and its translation.
Long Meter (LM)88 88
Lovelace writes, “The danger of Long Meter is the tendency to dullness (in 4/4 time every measure is filled to overflowing and breathing spaces are hard to find) or to pompousness.”
One of the most successful hymn writers in Long Meter was Isaac Watts:
“From All that Dwell Below the Skies”
“Jesus Shall Reign”
“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
p. 23
Iambic hymns
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep:
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.
(LSB 717:1)
Long Meter variants (8 8 8 8 8 8 or 8 8
8 8 8 8)
Variants of Long Meter are six eight syllables, either 8 8 8 8 8 8 with a rhyme scheme of ababcc or aabbcc and 8 8 8 8 8 8 with a rhyme scheme of aabccb. This metrical form is of sufficient length that the hymn writer can present an idea and develop a thought.
Iambic hymns
The tree of life with ev’ry good
In Eden’s holy orchard stood,
And of its fruit so pure and sweet
God let the man and woman eat.
Yet in this garden also grew
Another tree, of which they knew;
Its lovely limbs with fruit adorned
Against whose eating God had warned.
(LSB 561:1)
Long Meter Double (LMD) (8 8 8 8
8 8 8 8 )
Long Meter Double is eight eight-syllable lines: 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 with a rhyme scheme of aabbccdd. Lovelace writes that this rhyme scheme is “just too long-winded to find much popularity with hymnal editors or congregations.”
Iambic hymns
God Moves in a Mysterious Way LSB 765
The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want LSB 710
God Our Help In Ages Past LSB 733
This Is the Spirit’s Entry Now LSB 591
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing LSB 528
Common Meter (CM) (8 6 8 6)
Common Meter is two eight-syllable lines and two six-syllable lines: 8 6 8 6 with a rhyme scheme of aabb or abab. Lovelace writes that Common Meter is the “workhorse of hymnody.” In the Old English metrical psalters, it was the most “commonly” used meter since it resembled the popular ballad meter.
Iambic hymns No tramp of soldiers’ marching
feet
With banners and with drums,
No sound of music’s martial beat:
“The King of glory comes!”
To greet what pomp of kingly pride
No bells in triumph ring,
No city gates swing open wide:
“Behold, behold your King!”
LSB 444:1
Common Meter (CM) and Common Meter Double (CMD)
Since CM is so “common” it is a treacherously and deceptively easy meter for poets to use. It rises to great heights in the hands of careful poets who know how to use the changes of poetic devices to prevent monotony. Even more difficult to handle without flippancy and monotony is Common Meter Double (CMD) 8 6 8 6 8 6 8 6. It can be used for strong texts if the tune is strong, e.g. KINGSFOLD
Iambic hymns
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see the lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting light.
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.
LSB 361:1
Other meters
Phillips Brooks uses a slight variation of CMD (8 6 8 6 7 6 8 6) in “Old Little Town of Bethlehem.” Brooks skillfully uses inner rhyme in lines three and seven. Where Brooks is successful, a lesser poet would be in danger of flippancy created by this ballad meter and the limerick style of inner rhyme.
Iambic hymns
The night will soon be ending;
The dawn cannot be far.
Let songs of praise ascending
Now greet the Morning Star!
All you whom darkness frightens
With guilt or grief or pain,
God’s radiant star now brightens
And bids you sing again.
LSB 337:1
Other meters
Closely related to CMD is 7 6 7 6 D.
It is, in one sense, a feminization of the stronger CMD. Yet many CMD tunes fit 7 6 7 6 D metered texts equally well because both have a folksy, free-flowing style Instead of ending lines one and three with a strong beat, the last syllable is a falling one with the accent of CM missing: CM: strong weak strong 7 6 7 6: strong weak
Iambic hymns Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.
LSB 649:1
O Christ, You walked the road
Our wand’ring feet must go.
You faced with us temptation’s pow’r
And fought our ancient foe.
LSB 424:1
Short Meter (SM) 6 6 8 6
Short Meter was at one time called the poulter’s measure because of his custom of giving twelve eggs for the first dozen and then thirteen or fourteen on the second dozen. Short Meter is made of two couplets, the first with twelve syllables, the second with fourteen. Of the three chief meters of the English psalters (CM, LM, and SM), it stands last in usage. The few syllables give the hymn writer little time for developing a substantial thought.
Iambic hymns
O Christ, who led the Twelve
Among the desolate
And broke as bread of life for all
Your love compassionate:
Lead us along the ways
Where hope has nearly died.
And help us climb the lonely hills
Where love is crucified.
LSB 856:3
Short Meter Double (SMD) 6 6 8 6 6 6 8
6
Short Meter Double was a favorite meter of Charles Wesley. Half of the SMD hymns that appear in The Methodist Hymnal are by him. It is successfully used in “Crown Him With Many Crowns” by Matthew Bridges and in a new text in LSB by Herman Stuempfle: “O Christ, Who Called the Twelve” (LSB 856) set to the tune
TERRA BEATA. abcbdefe
Iambic hymns
My song is love unknown,
My Savior’s love to me,
Love to the loveless shown
That they might lovely be.
Oh, who am I
That for my sake
My Lord should take
Frail flesh and die.
LSB 430:1
8’s and 6’s
There are many ways to combine eights and sixes in addition to the basic Short, Common, and Long meters. Lovelace writes that while such combinations may cause problems from a tune standpoint, they all tend to have a “refreshingly unsquare” feeling. At one time such meters were called “Peculiar Meter.”
6 6 6 6 8 8 known as Hallelujah Meter with a rhyme scheme of
ababcc Note this interesting variation by Samuel Crossman:
Iambic hymns
Our Father by whose name
All fatherhood is known,
Who dost in love proclaim
Each family Thine own,
Bless Thou all parents guarding well,
With constant love as sentinel,
The homes in which Thy people dwell.
LSB 863:1
8’s and 6’s
F. Bland Tucker, translator and poet who helped edit The Hymnal 1940, has extended 6 6 6 6 8 8 by adding one more line of 8:
6 6 6 6 8 8 8.
This is the same meter I chose for a hymn commissioned for the 2010 Michigan District LWML convention, a text called: “How Beautiful the Feet” also sung to the tune RHOSYMEDRE.
Iambic hymns
O holy city seen of John,
Where Christ the Lamb doth reign,
Within those four-square walls shall come
No night, nor need, nor pain,
And where the tears are wiped from eyes
That shall not weep again.
Walter Russell Bowie
8’s and 6’s
A variation of Common Meter adds two additional lines: 8 6 so that the new meter is 8 6 8 6 8 6.
In this example, the rhyme scheme is
abcbdb
Iambic hymns
No temple now, no gift of price,
No priestly round of sacrifice,
Retain their ancient pow’rs.
As shadows fade before the sun
The day of sacrifice is done,
The day of grace is ours.
LSB 530:1
8’s and 6’s
Another combination of 8’s and 6’s produces the new meter of 8 8 6 8 8 6 found in LSB to a tune by Joseph Herl called KIRKWOOD.
This was the meter and tune I chose for the baptism text written for our granddaughter Alina’s baptism, “Blest Be the Father of Our Lord,” when she was baptized on All Saints’ Day of 2009.
Iambic hymns
Now thank we all our God
With hearts and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done,
In whom His world rejoices;
Who from our mother’s arms
Has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love
And still is ours today.
LSB 895:1
Other meters
The meter of 6 7 6 7 6 6 6 6 was used by Martin Rinkart for “Now Thank We All Our God.” The short lines, though unusual, work well.
Rhyme scheme is
abcbdefe
Iambic hymns
The whole triumphant host
Gives thanks to God on high.
“Hail, Father, Son and Holy Ghost!”
They ever cry.
Hail Abr’ham’s God and mine!
I join the heav’nly lays:
All might and majesty are Thine
And endless praise!
LSB 798:9
Other meters
The meter of 6 6 8 4D is unusual and divides the twelve syllables into different patterns. Here is the doxological stanza from “The God of Abraham Praise” set to the tune YIGDAL. The third and seventh lines (of eight syllables) provide adequate space for the thought to gather momentum and end on the climactic and compact four-syllabled ideas.
Rhyme scheme is ababcdcd
Iambic hymns The King of love my Shepherd
is,
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.
LSB 709:1
When shadows fall, I will not dwell
On troubles that distress me,
Nor let some painful memory
Embitter and oppress me.
LSB 885:3
8 7 8 7 and 10 10 10 10
Much like 7 6 7 6 was created by dropping one syllable from lines one and three of Common Meter, so also 8 7 8 7 is created by adding one syllable to lines two and four.
Rhyme scheme is abab or abcb
Iambic hymns The Son obeyed His Father’s
will
Was born of virgin mother;
And God’s good pleasure to fulfill,
He came to be my my brother.
His royal pow’r disguised He bore;
A servant’s form, like mine, He wore
To lead the devil captive.
LSB 556:6
8 7 8 7 and 10 10 10 10
A typical German iambic meter is 8 7 8 7 8 8 7. Like so much of German material, it can be classified as unsquare or asymmetrical in contrast to the balance of English hymnody.
Rhyme scheme is
ababccd
Iambic hymns A mighty fortress is our God,
A trusty shield and weapon;
He helps us free from ev’ry need
That hath us now o’ertaken.
The old evil foe
Now means deadly woe;
Deep guile and great might
Are His dread arms in fight;
On earth is not his equal.
LSB 656:1
8 7 8 7 and 10 10 10 10
Another German masterpiece is Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress.” The meter is 8 7 8 7 5 5 5 6 7. A study of the music and text indicates that there is really only one musical phrase and long textual idea running for fifteen syllables before a point of rest is reached. The first two groups of 15 are the exposition of the idea; the other short phrases are “defiant jabs, ending with a good uppercut seven,”
Rhyme scheme is ababccdde
Iambic hymns
Here, O my Lord, I see Thee face to face;
Here would I touch and handle things unseen;
Here grasp with firmer hand the_eternal grace,
And all my weariness upon Thee lean.
LSB 631:1 (harder to memorize)
Abide with me, fast falls the eventide.
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
LSB 878:1 (easier to memorize)
10 10 10 10
10 10 10 10 can be called the meter of the 19th century. Few are excellent hymns; most sound like poems that were set to tunes as an afterthought. Charles Wesley wrote many poems to this meter, but did not use it for any of his many hymns. The lines are too long, the thought process becomes too involved and the mind has long wandered before it reaches the end of the stanza. Two familiar hymns in this meter are “Here, O My Lord, I See Thee Face to Face” and “Abide With Me.”
Iambic hymns
No saint on earth lives life to self alone
Or dies alone, for we with Christ are one.
So if we live, for Christ alone we live,
And if we die, to Christ our dying give.
In living and in dying this confess:
We are the Lord’s, safe in God’s faithfulness.
LSB 747:1
10 10 10 10 10 10
10 10 10 10 10 10 is quite rare. We have only two examples in Lutheran Service Book: (LSB 752) “Be Still My Soul” and (LSB 747) “No Saint on Earth Lives Life to Self Alone.”
Iambic hymns Lift up your heads, you everlasting
doors,
And weep no more!
O Zion’s daughter, sing,
To greet your coming King;
Now wave the victor’s palm
And sing the ancient psalm:
“Lift up your heads, you everlasting gates!”
Your kings awaits!
LSB 339:1
10 4 6 6 6 6 10 4
10 4 6 6 6 6 10 4 is another rare meter and in Lutheran Service Book there is one example that is listed as 14 12 12 14. George Herbert’s classic text, “Let All the World in Every Corner Sing” is also written to this meter.
Iambic hymns God of light, Your Word a lamp unfailing,
Shall pierce the darkness of our earthbound way.
And show Your grace, Your plan for us unveiling,
And guide our footsteps to the perfect day.
LSB 836:1 (seems harder to memorize)
Brightest and best of the stars of the morning,
Dawn on our dakness and lend us thine aid;
Star of the Eas, the horizon adorning,
Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.
LSB 400:1 (seems easier to memorize)
11 10 11 10
The meter 11 10 11 10 is related to 10 10 10 10 but has a feminine ending for lines one and three. The same problem previously noted for the 10’s apply here. Such long texts are often better suited to devotional poetry than hymnody.
Note the “triple rhyme” in the first example, lines 1 and 3.
Trochaic hymns Glory be to Jesus,
Who in bitter pains
Poured for me the lifeblood
From His sacred veins!
LSB 433:1
Now the day is over;
Night is drawing nigh;
Shadows of the evening
Steal across the sky.
LW 491:1
6 5 6 5
The discussion of iambic meters was long, because so many hymns are created with this meter of the “rising foot” (weak/strong). Trochaic meters are created with the meter of the “falling foot” (strong/weak). Iambic metered hymns urge the sound and sense onward to a final strong point of accent and thought. Trochaic meter is abrupt; it comes to the point immediately. It commands our attention. It is decisive!
Trochaic hymns Onward Christian
soldiers,
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before.
Christ, the royal master,
Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle
See His banners go!
LSB 662:1
6 5 6 5 D
Trochaic suits the sense of urgency in “Onward, Christian Soldiers.” Lovelace believes that the “short lines sound as if they are being written down to children, yet with adult imperative pushiness.”
Trochaic hymns
Greet the rising sun,
Shining with bright force,
Like an athlete strong,
Set to the run the course;
Birds soar high above,
Wildflow’rs bloom below;
With the day’s new light,
Glad to work I go.
LSB 871:1
5 5 5 5 D
Trochaic suits the pentatonic nature of the Chinese tune L’PING. 5 5 5 5 D has all masculine endings which adds to the rhythmic pattern of the text.
Trochaic hymns “Christ the Lord is ris’n
today!”
Saints on earth and angels say;
Raise your joys and triumphs high;
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply.
Love’s redeeming work is done,
Fought the fight, the battle won;
Lo! Our Sun’s eclipse is o’er;
Lo! He sets in blood no more.
LSB 469:1,2
Sevens
In one sense, 7 7 7 7 can be considered a variation of Common Meter (8 6 8 6 ) with one syllable removed from the start of line one and added to line two. Or it can be considered a variation of Long Meter ( 8 8 8 8) with the upbeat omitted. 7 7 7 7 is by far the most common trochaic pattern. Charles Wesley’s Easter hymn, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” has adequate room to express his ideas but retains the terseness of short lines and strong downbeats. Note the strong beginning words: Christ, Lives, Love’s Soar, Sons, Where, Fought, Raise…
Trochaic hymns Savior, when in dust to Thee
Low we bow the_adoring knee;
When, repentant to the skies
Scarce we lift our weeping eyes;
O, by all thy pains and woe
Suffered once for us below,
Bending from thy throne on high,
Hear our penitential cry!
LSB 419:1
7 7 7 7 D
Among 7 7 7 7 D hymns, not an easy meter as one needs to avoid monotony in rhythm and melody. Charles Wesley’s text “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” balances God’s strength and man’s need. Robert Grant’s “Savior, When in Dust to Thee” is another fine example of this meter.
Trochaic hymns Rock of Ages, cleft for me;
Let me hide myself in Thee,
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure:
Cleanse me from its guilt and pow’r.
LSB 761:1
7 7 7 7 D
Six sevens is another popular trochaic meter for hymns. Consider these six-sevens hymn: “Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me,” “Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies,” and “Jesus, Lover of My Soul.”
Trochaic hymns Gentle Mary laid her child
Lowly in a manger;
There He lay, the Undefiled,
To the world a stranger.
Such a babe in such a place,
Can He be the Savior?
Ask the saved of all the race
Who have found His favor.
LSB 374:1
7 6 7 6 D
Here is an example of a 7 6 7 6 that is trochaic and not iambic as one might expect: “Gentle Mary Laid Her Child.” While the four sevens provide strength and directness, the four sixes soften the text by ending on a weak pulse, adding a touch of gentleness.
Trochaic hymns All my heart again rejoices
As I hear
Far and near
Sweetest angel voices
“Christ is born!” their choirs are singing
Till the air
Everywhere
Now with joy is ringing.
LSB 360:1
8 3 3 6 D
The trochaic pattern seems to invite some unusual metric designs that use inner rhyming. Consider this example also from the Christmas season.
Trochaic hymns Joyful, joyful we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love!
Heart unfold like flow’rs before Thee,
Praising Thee, their sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness,
Drive the gloom of doubt away,
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day.
LSB 803:1
8 7 8 7 and 8 7 8 7 D
The iambic pattern of 8 7 8 7 :
Where streams of living water flow,
My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And, where the verdant pastures grow
With food celestial feedeth.
differs from the trochaic pattern of 8 7 8 7 and 8 7 8 7 D:
Trochaic hymns Let all mortal flesh keep
silence
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand
Christ our God to earth descending
Our full homage to demand.
LSB 621:1
8 7 8 7 8 7
The trochaic pattern of 8 7 8 7 8 7 has the same general characteristics of strength. Because of the direct and terse nature of trochaics, few hymns are found with longer lines than 8’s and 7’s . The rhyme scheme of a b c b d b along with a tune that repeats the major theme in the second phrase with a climaxing third phrase all help to make the hymn strong and memorable.
Dactylic and Anapaestic
Where a poet wished to cover ground rapidly, the movement needs to lighten, so they naturally to dactylic and anapestic.
Dactylic
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
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Dactylic is quite rare in modern hymnody. Dactylic consists of one accent (strong) that is followed by two upbeats (weak). Dactylic is challenging to set due to the two final unaccented syllables.
Dactylic
My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Cal-va-ry,
My coun-try ‘tis of thee, Sweet land of lib-er-ty,
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Dactylic consists of one accent (strong) that is followed by two upbeats (weak).
Anapaestic ‘ Twas the night before
Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
Immortal, invisible, God only wise
(This feels dactylic after the initial “Im-” but technically anapaestic because it ends on a strong syllable.)
Anapaestic is closely related to dactylic. It consists of a by two upbeats (weak) followed by one accent (strong) .
Anapaestic is often altered by shortening a foot somewhere in the line.
Anapaestic O how hap-py are they
who the Sa-vior o-bey,
And have laid up their trea-sure a-bove!
Anapaestic is closely related to dactylic. It consists of a by two upbeats (weak) followed by one accent (strong) .
poetic devices
“Poetic devices are the sinew and muscle which surround the skeletal meter, but if the rippling muscles and effects are obvious and distracting, the cleverness of the poet kills the spiritual intent of the hymn.”
Austin Lovelace
poetic devices
A story used to explain or teach an idea.
“The vision of his skeptic mind Was keen enough to make him blind…”
to describe Thomas’ doubt that Jesus had been raised from the dead
Allegory
poetic devices
Repetition of the same first letter or sound in a group of words.
“Thy strength in this sad strife.” “And grant to me Thy grace.” “When death is at my door;”
Alliteration
poetic devices
Using words or ideas that end one stanza and start the next
stanza.
“To spread through all the earth abroad, The honors of Thy name.” 3. “Jesus! The name that charms our fears, That bids our sorrows cease…”
Anadiplosis
poetic devices
Repetition of a word at the start of successive lines.
“Born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.”
Anaphora
poetic devices
Repetition of a word at the start of successive lines.
“Born that man no more may die Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.”
Anaphora
poetic devices
Repetition with a slight difference in meaning or a change in direction
of thought.
“Who sacrificed Thy life for lifeless mortals: Be my life in death and bring…”
Antanaclasis
poetic devices
Repetition of a phrase in reverse.
“Three in One and One in Three”
Antistrophe
poetic devices
Sharply contrasted ideas set in balance.
“Mine, mine was the transgression, But Thine the bitter pain.”
Antithesis
poetic devices
Addressing inanimate objects or things.
“O perfect life of love” “O day of rest and gladness”
“O little town of Bethlehem”
Apostrophe
poetic devices
The crossing of lines or phrases, from the Greek letter “chi” or X.
“Just and Holy is Thy Name; I am all unrighteousness, False and full of sin I am; Thou are full of truth and grace.”
Chiasmus
poetic devices
Ideas arranged in an ascending order of intensity.
“Peace in our hearts, where sinful thoughts are raging, Peace in Your Church, our troubled souls assuaging, Peace when the world its endless war is waging, Peace in Your heaven.”
Climax
poetic devices
The use of an exclamation point for emphasis.
“Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” “Jesus Lives! The Victory’s Won” “ ‘Away From Us!’ The Demon Cried”
Echphonesis
poetic devices
Beginning and ending a line (hymn) with the same word (line).
“Hide me, O my Savior, hide”
“The tree of life with ev’ry good The tree of life with ev’ry good.”
Epanadiplosis
poetic devices
A refrain.
“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!”
“Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim Till all the world adore His sacred name.”
Epimone
poetic devices
Immediate repetition of a word or phrase in a line.
“I’ll never, no never, no never, forsake!”
“How great Thou art! How great Thou art!”
Epizeuxis
poetic devices
A figure employing exaggeration.
“Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing”
“Were the whole realm of nature mine,”
Hyperbole
poetic devices
A vivid description designed to bring the scene clearly
before the eyes.
“See from His head, His hands, His feet Sorrow and love flow mingled down!” “See, His blood now marks our door;
Faith points to it; death passes o’er,”
Hypotyposis
poetic devices
Repeating a phrase in the middle of
successive lines.
“In Christ we are forgiven.” “In Christ the saints arise!” “In Christ, our risen Lord.”
Mesodiplosis
poetic devices
A word or phrase normally meaning one thing used of another to
suggest a likeness; comparison.
“The sower sows; his reckless love Scatters abroad the goodly seed,”
Metaphor
poetic devices
Substitution of one term for another closely
associated with it.
“This miracle of life reborn (baptism) Comes from the Lord of breath;” (Spirit)
Metonymy
poetic devices
Combining for special purpose words which seem to be
contradictory.
“He by death has crushed His foes.” “For the sheep the Lamb has bled,” “The Lord of earth and heaven
Rode on in lowly state”
Oxymoron
poetic devices
A statement containing two opposite ideas.
“The Master pays the debt His servants owe Him.” “And for His death They thirst and cry.”
Paradox
poetic devices
Explaining, qualifying or completing information.
“You know our grief, You hear our sighs— In mercy dry our tear-stained eyes.” “All human thought must falter— Our God stoops low to heal,
Parenthesis or a Dash
poetic devices
Abstractions treated as if they had human attributes.
“Rise, my soul, to watch and pray; From your sleep awaken!” “My heart for very joy must leap;”
Personification
poetic devices
A question whose answer is obvious or for which no answer is
expected.
“Oh, who am I That for my sake
My Lord should take Frail flesh and die?”
Rhetorical question
poetic devices
Unlike objects are compared in one aspect.
“Shall we not yield Him in costly devotion, Fragrance of Edom and off’rings divine, Gems of the mountain and pearls of the ocean, Myrrh from the forest and gold from the mine?”
(This entire stanza is one long rhetorical question!)
Simile
poetic devices
A part used instead of the whole.
“O sacred Head, now wounded” “O come, all ye faithful,” “Faith embarked with this discernment:”
Synechdoche
poetic devices
Repeating the same thing in other words.
“Lo, how a rose e’er blooming… Isaiah ‘twas foretold it, The rose I have in mind; “I come in half-belief, (I am) A pilgrim strangely stirred:”
Tautology
