Hymns and Tunes 1886 81
While thee I seek, protecting Power
Words: Helen M. WilliamsTune: 129, 175, 696
1While thee I seek, protecting Power,
Be my vain wishes stilled;
And may this consecrated hour
With better hopes be filled.
2Thy love the power of thought bestowed,
To thee my thoughts would soar;
Thy mercy o'er my life has flowed;
That mercy I adore.
3In each event of life, how clear
Thy ruling hand I see!
Each blessing to my soul is dear,
Because conferred by thee.
- Words
- Helen M. Williams
- Tune
- 129, 175, 696
Public Domain
The verse
- Meter
- 9.6.9.6
- Foot
- iambic (da-DUM) · 71% of beats fit
- Rhyme
- ABAB
Scan every line
/ stressed · ˘ unstressed · ? not in the dictionary
Verse 1
While thee I seek, protecting Power,//˘/˘/˘/˘9A
Be my vain wishes stilled;˘˘//˘/6B
And may this consecrated hour˘˘˘/˘/˘/˘9A
With better hopes be filled.˘/˘/˘/6B
Verse 2
Thy love the power of thought bestowed,//˘/˘˘/˘/9A
To thee my thoughts would soar;˘/˘/˘/6B
Thy mercy o'er my life has flowed;//˘/˘/˘/8A
That mercy I adore.˘/˘˘˘/6B
Verse 3
In each event of life, how clear˘/˘/˘///8A
Thy ruling hand I see!//˘/˘/6B
Each blessing to my soul is dear,//˘˘˘/˘/8A
Because conferred by thee.˘/˘/˘/6B
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.