The Pure in Heart Shall See God. 29
When the clouds drop down their fatness,In late and early rain,They shall see His glorious footprintsOn valley, hill and plain.
They shall see Him when the cycloneBreathes terror through the land;They shall see Him 'mid the murmursOf zephyrs soft and bland.
They shall see Him when the lips of health,Breath vigor through each nerve,When pestilence clasps hands with death,His purposes to serve.
They shall see Him when the trembling earthIs rocking to and fro;They shall see Him in the orderThe seasons come and go.
They shall see Him when the storms of warSweep wildly through the land;When peace descends like gentle dewThey still shall see His hand.
They shall see Him in the cityOf gems and pearls of light,
Words in this poem
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- glorious a.
- Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Pure in Heart Shall See God. 29 is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #679; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, The Pure in Heart Shall See God. 29, in Poems (1854–1871), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #679, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/harper-poems/the-pure-in-heart-shall-see-god-29.html, id L10558.
Form and metre
The Pure in Heart Shall See God. 29 is 22 lines in 6 stanzas. The metre is common measure, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 83%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.1 syllables. 4 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 36% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in common measure.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 -A-A fatness · rainA · footprints · plainA
- 2 -A-A cyclone · landA · murmurs · blandA
- 3 -A-A health · nerveA · death · serveA
- 4 -A-A earth · froA · order · goA
- 5 -A-A war · landA · dew · handA
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against common measure. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| When the clouds drop down their fatness, | 8 | ······/˘ |
| In late and early rain, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| They shall see His glorious footprints | 8 | ····/˘/· |
| On valley, hill and plain. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| They shall see Him when the cyclone | 8 | ······˘/ |
| Breathes terror through the land; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| They shall see Him 'mid the murmurs | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Of zephyrs soft and bland. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| They shall see Him when the lips of health, | 9 | ········· |
| Breath vigor through each nerve, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| When pestilence clasps hands with death, | 8 | ·/˘˘···· |
| His purposes to serve. | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
| They shall see Him when the trembling earth | 9 | ······/˘· |
| Is rocking to and fro; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| They shall see Him in the order | 8 | ······/˘ |
| The seasons come and go. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| They shall see Him when the storms of war | 9 | ········· |
| Sweep wildly through the land; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| When peace descends like gentle dew | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| They still shall see His hand. | 6 | ······ |
| They shall see Him in the city | 8 | ······/˘ |
| Of gems and pearls of light, | 6 | ······ |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.