Sinai and Calvary
There are two mountains hallowedBy majesty sublime,Which rear their crests unconqueredAbove the floods of Time.Uncounted generationsHave gazed on them with awe,--The mountain of the Gospel,The mountain of the Law.
From Sinai's cloud of darknessThe vivid lightnings play;They serve the God of vengeance,The Lord who shall repay.Each fault must bring its penance,Each sin the avenging blade,For God upholds in justiceThe laws that He hath made.
But Calvary stands to ransomThe earth from utter loss,In shade than light more glorious,The shadow of the Cross.To heal a sick world's trouble,To soothe its woe and pain,On Calvary's sacred summitThe Paschal Lamb was slain.
The boundless might of HeavenIts law in mercy furled,As once the bow of promiseO'erarched a drowning world.The Law said, "As you keep me,It shall be done to you;"But Calvary prays, "Forgive them;They know not what they do."
Almighty God! direct usTo keep Thy perfect Law!O blessed Saviour, help usNearer to Thee to draw!Let Sinai's thunders aid usTo guard our feet from sin;And Calvary's light inspire usThe love of God to win.
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,]
- calvary n.
- The place where Christ was crucified, on a small hill outside of Jerusalem. Luke xxiii. 33. [L. calvaria a bare skull, fr. calva the scalp without hair. fr. calvus bald; cf. F. calvaire.]
- 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.]
- soothe v. t.
- To assent to as true. Testament of Love. [Originally, to assent to as true; OE. so to verify, AS. ges to prove the truth of, to bear witness. See Sooth, a.]
- saviour n.
- One who saves, preserves, or delivers from destruction or danger. [OE. saveour, OF. salveor, F. sauveur, fr. L. salvator to save. See Save, v.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Sinai and Calvary is in the public domain. This text is taken from Pike County Ballads and Other Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #6062; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: John Hay, Sinai and Calvary, in Pike County Ballads and Other Poems (1871), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #6062, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hay-pike-county/sinai-and-calvary.html, id L21612.
Form and metre
Sinai and Calvary is 40 lines in 5 stanzas of 8 lines each. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).
See other poems in iambic tetrameter.
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-B-B hallowed · sublimeA · unconquered · timeA · generations · aweB · gospel · lawB
- 2 -A-A-B-B darkness · playA · vengeance · repayA · penance · bladeB · justice · madeB
- 3 -AAA-B-B ransom · lossA · gloriousA · crossA · trouble · painB · summit · slainB
- 4 -A-A-B-B heaven · furledA · promise · worldA · me · youB · them · doB
- 5 ABABACAC usA · lawB · usA · drawB · usA · sinC · usA · winC
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 iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| There are two mountains hallowed | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| By majesty sublime, | 6 | ·/˘˘˘/ |
| Which rear their crests unconquered | 7 | ······· |
| Above the floods of Time. | 6 | ······ |
| Uncounted generations | 7 | ·/˘·˘/˘ |
| Have gazed on them with awe,-- | 6 | ······ |
| The mountain of the Gospel, | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| The mountain of the Law. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| From Sinai's cloud of darkness | 7 | ·/···/˘ |
| The vivid lightnings play; | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| They serve the God of vengeance, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| The Lord who shall repay. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Each fault must bring its penance, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| Each sin the avenging blade, | 7 | ···˘/˘· |
| For God upholds in justice | 7 | ··˘/·/˘ |
| The laws that He hath made. | 6 | ······ |
| But Calvary stands to ransom | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| The earth from utter loss, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| In shade than light more glorious, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| The shadow of the Cross. | 6 | ·/···· |
| To heal a sick world's trouble, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| To soothe its woe and pain, | 6 | ······ |
| On Calvary's sacred summit | 7 | ·/˘/˘/˘ |
| The Paschal Lamb was slain. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| The boundless might of Heaven | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Its law in mercy furled, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| As once the bow of promise | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| O'erarched a drowning world. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| The Law said, "As you keep me, | 7 | ······· |
| It shall be done to you;" | 6 | ······ |
| But Calvary prays, "Forgive them; | 7 | ·/˘·˘/· |
| They know not what they do." | 6 | ······ |
| Almighty God! direct us | 7 | ˘/˘·˘/· |
| To keep Thy perfect Law! | 6 | ···˘/· |
| O blessed Saviour, help us | 6 | ··/˘·· |
| Nearer to Thee to draw! | 6 | /˘···· |
| Let Sinai's thunders aid us | 7 | ·/·/˘·· |
| To guard our feet from sin; | 6 | ··/··· |
| And Calvary's light inspire us | 7 | ·/˘·˘/· |
| The love of God to win. | 6 | ······ |
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