Hymns and Tunes 1876 495
Hymn 495
1HOW can we see the children, Lord,
Whom thou dost in love hast given,
Follow the broad and crooked way,
Without a hope of Heaven ?
2Lord, we see the judgment day,
And see our children dear ;
Now send thy Spirit from on high,
And fill them with thy fear.
3Oh ! make them love thy holy law,
And joyful walk therein ;
Then to their souls the light will draw ;
Save them from every sin.
Public Domain
The verse
- Meter
- 8.8.8.7
- Foot
- iambic (da-DUM) · 46% of beats fit
- Rhyme
- ABCD
Scan every line
/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary
Verse 1
HOW can we see the children, Lord,/˘˘/˘/˘/8A
Whom thou dost in love hast given,˘//˘///˘8B
Follow the broad and crooked way,/˘˘/˘/˘/8C
Without a hope of Heaven ?˘/˘/˘/˘7D
Verse 2
Lord, we see the judgment day,/˘/˘/˘/7A
And see our children dear ;˘//˘/˘/7B
Now send thy Spirit from on high,////˘˘˘/8C
And fill them with thy fear.˘/˘˘//6B
Verse 3
Oh ! make them love thy holy law,˘/˘///˘/8A
And joyful walk therein ;˘/˘/˘/6B
Then to their souls the light will draw ;/˘˘/˘/˘/8A
Save them from every sin./˘˘/˘˘/7B
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.