Christ in Song 581
The One Thing Needful
Words: William CowperMusic: Anonymous
1The Spirit breathes upon the word, And brings the truth to sight; Precepts and promises afford A sanctifying light.
2A glory gilds the sacred page, Majestic like the sun; It gives a light to every age, It gives, but borrows none.
3The hand that gave it still supplies The gracious light and heat; His truths upon the nations rise, They rise, but never set.
- Words
- William Cowper
- Music
- Anonymous
- Scripture
- 2 Timothy 3:16; Psalm 119:105
The verse
- Meter
- 28
- Foot
- iambic (da-DUM) · 77% of beats fit
- Rhyme
- A
Scan every line
/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary
Verse 1
The Spirit breathes upon the word, And brings the truth to sight; Precepts and promises afford A sanctifying light.˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘///˘/˘˘˘/˘/˘˘˘/28A
Verse 2
A glory gilds the sacred page, Majestic like the sun; It gives a light to every age, It gives, but borrows none.˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘˘/˘/˘/˘/29A
Verse 3
The hand that gave it still supplies The gracious light and heat; His truths upon the nations rise, They rise, but never set.˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/˘/28A
Counted by machine from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. It cannot hear emphasis or a poet’s licence, so treat it as a place to start reading, not the last word.