A Short Discourse on Eternity
What mortal man can with a Spanmete out Eternity?Or fathom it by depth of Wit,or strength of Memory?The lofty Sky is not so high,Hell's depth to this is small;The World so wide is but a stride,comparéd therewithal.
It is a main great Oce-anwithouten bank or bound,A deep Abyss, wherein there isno bottom to be found.This World hath stood now since the Flood,four thousand years well near,And had before enduréd morethan sixteen hundred year.
But what's the time from the World's prime,unto this present day,If we thereby Eternityto measure should essay?The whole duration since the Creation,though long, yet is more little,If placed by Eternity,than is the smallest tittle.
Tell every Star both near and far,in Heav'n's bright CanopyThat doth appear throughout the yearof high or low degree:Tell every Tree that thou canst seein this vast Wilderness,Up in the Woods, down by the Floods,in thousand miles Progress:
The sum is vast, yet not so vastbut that thou may'st go onTo multiply the leaves thereby,that hang those Trees upon:Add thereunto the Drops that thouimaginest to beIn April Show'rs, that bring forth Flow'rsand blossoms plenteously:
Number the Fowls and living Soulsthat through the Air do fly,The wingéd Hosts in all their Coastsbeneath the starry Sky:Count all the Grass as thou dost passthrough many a pasture-land,And dewy Drops that on the topsof Herbs and Plants do stand:
Number the Sand upon the Strand,and atoms of the Air;And do thy best on Man and Beast,to reckon every Hair:Take all the Dust, if so thou lust,and add to thine Account:Yet shall the Years of Sinners' tears,the Number far surmount.
Naught join'd to naught can ne'er make aught,nor Cyphers make a Sum;Nor things finite, to infiniteby multiplying come:A Cockle-shell may serve as wellto lade the Ocean dryAs finite things and reckoningsto bound Eternity.
Oh happy they that live for aye,with Christ in Heav'n above!Who know withal that nothing shalldeprive them of his love.Eternity, Eternity!Oh! were it not for thee,The Saints in bliss and happinesscould never happy be.
For if they were in any fearthat this their joy might cease,It would annoy (if not destroy)and interrupt their peace.But being sure it shall endureso long as God shall live;The thoughts of this, unto their bliss,do full perfection give.
Cheer up ye Saints amidst your wantsand sorrows many a one;Lift up the head, shake off all dread,and moderate your moan.Your sufferings and evil thingswill suddenly be past;Your sweet Fruitions and blessed Visions,for evermore shall last.
Lament and mourn you that must burnamidst those flaming Seas:If once you come to such a doom,for ever farewell ease.O sad estate and desperate,that never can be mended,Until God's Will shall change, or tillEternity be ended!
If any one this Questi-onshall unto me propound:What! have the years of Sinners' tearsno limits or no bound?It kills our heart to think of smart,and pains that last for ever;And hear of fire that shall expire,or be extinguish'd never,
I'll answer make (and let them takemy words as I intend them;For this is all the Cordi-althat here I have to lend them:)When Heav'n shall cease to flow with peaceand all felicity,Then Hell may cease to be the placeof Woe and Misery.
When Heav'n is Hell, when Ill is Well,when Virtue turns to Vice;When Wrong is Right, when Dark is Light,when Naught is of great price;Then may the years of Sinners' tearsand sufferings expire,And all the Hosts of damnéd Ghostsescape out of Hell-fire.
When Christ above shall cease to love,when God shall cease to reignAnd be no more as heretoforethe World's great Sovéreign;Or not be just, or favor lust,or in Men's sins delight;Then wicked men (and not till then)to Heav'n may take their flight.
When God's great Power shall be brought lower,by foreign Puissance,Or be decay'd and weaker madethrough Time's continuance;When drowsiness shall him oppress,and lay him fast asleep,Then sinful men may break their pen,and out of Prison creep.
When those in Glory shall be right sorrythey may not change their place,And wish to dwell with those in Hell,never to see Christ's face;Then those in pain may freedom gainand be with Glory dight:Then Hellish fiends may be Christ's Friends,and Heirs of Heavén hight.
Then, ah! poor men! What! not till then?No, not an hour before;For God is just, and therefore musttorment them evermore.thou mak'st hard hearts to bleed:The thoughts of thee in misery,do make men wail indeed.
When they remind what's still behindand ponder this word NEVER,That they must there be made to bearGod's Vengéance for EVER:The thought of this more bitter isthan all they feel beside;Yet what they feel, nor heart of steel,nor flesh of brass can bide.
To lie in woe and undergothe direful pains of Hell,And know withal, that there they shallfor aye and ever dwell;And that they are from rest as farwhen fifty thousand year,Twice told, are spent in punishment,as when they first came there;
This, oh! this makes Hell's fiery flakesmuch more intolerable;This makes frail wights and damnéd spritesto bear their plagues unable.This makes men bite, for fell despite,their very tongues in twain;This makes them roar for great horror,and trebleth all their pain.
Words in this poem 25
- mete v. i.
- To dream; also impersonally; as, me mette, I dreamed. [AS. m.]
- stride v. t.
- To walk with long steps, especially in a measured or pompous manner. [AS. stridan to stride, to strive; akin to LG. striden, OFries. strida to strive, D. strijden to strive, to contend, G. streiten, OHG. stritan; of uncertain orig]
- therewithal adv.
- Over and above; besides; moreover. Daniel.
- tittle n.
- A particle; a minute part; a jot; an iota. [OE. titel, titil, apparently a dim. of tit, in the sense of small; cf. G. tüttel a tittle, dim. of OHG. tutta teat. Perhaps, however, the same word as title, n.]
- thereunto adv.
- Unto that or this; thereto; besides.
- starry a.
- Abounding with stars; adorned with stars.
- lust v. i.
- To list; to like. [AS. lystan. See Lust, n., and cf. List to choose.]
- 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,]
- aught n.
- Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
- withal adv.
- With this; with that. [With + all.]
- amidst prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- evermore adv.
- During eternity; always; forever; for an indefinite period; at all times; -- often used substantively with for.
- desperate a.
- Without hope; given to despair; hopeless. [L. desperatus, p. p. of desperare. See Despair, and cf. Desperado.]
- propound v. t.
- To offer for consideration; to exhibit; to propose; as, to propound a question; to propound an argument. [From earlier propone, L. proponere, propositum, to set forth, propose, propound; pro for, before + ponere to put. See Position, and cf. Provost.]
- intend v. t.
- To stretch' to extend; to distend. [OE. entenden to be attentive, F. entendre, fr. L. intendre, intentum, and intensum, to intend, attend, stretch out, extend; pref. in- in + tendere to stretch, s]
- damn v. t.
- To condemn; to declare guilty; to doom; to adjudge to punishment; to sentence; to censhure. [OE. damnen dap), OF. damner, dampner, F. damner, fr. L. damnare, damnatum, to condemn, fr. damnum damage, a fine, penalty. Cf. Condemn, Damage.]
- puissance n.
- Power; strength; might; force; potency. [F., fr.puissant. See Puissant, and cf. Potency, Potance, Potence.]
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
- dight v. t.
- To prepare; to put in order; hence, to dress, or put on; to array; to adorn. [OF. dihten, AS. dihtan to dictate, command, dispose, arrange, fr. L. dictare to say often, dictate, order; cf. G. dichten to write poetry, fr. L. dictare. See D]
- hight v. t.
- To be called or named. [OE. heiten, highten, haten, hoten; also hight, hatte, hette, is called, was called, AS. hatan to call, name, be called, to command, promise; also hatte is calle]
- remind v. t.
- To put (one) in mind of something; to bring to the remembrance of; to bring to the notice or consideration of (a person).
- bide v. i.
- To dwell; to inhabit; to abide; to stay. [OE. biden, AS. bidan; akin to OHG. bitan, Goth. beidan, Icel. bi; perh. orig., to wait with trust, and akin to bid. See Bid, v. t., and cf. Abide.]
- undergo v. t.
- To go or move below or under. [AS. undergan. See Under, and Go.]
- direful a.
- Dire; dreadful; terrible; calamitous; woeful; as, a direful fiend; a direful day. [Dire + -ful.]
- twain a.
- Two;- nearly obsolete in common discourse, but used in poetry and burlesque. [OE. twein, tweien, tweyne, AS. twegen, masc. See Two.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
A Short Discourse on Eternity is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Day of Doom; Or, A Poetical Description of the Great and Last Judgment With Other Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #58716; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Michael Wigglesworth, A Short Discourse on Eternity, in The Day of Doom (1662), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #58716, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/wigglesworth-doom/a-short-discourse-on-eternity.html, id L09215.
Form and metre
A Short Discourse on Eternity is 175 lines in 22 stanzas. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 7.1 syllables. 34 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 29% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
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 span · eternity · wit · memory · high · smallA · stride · therewithalA
- 2 -A-A-B-B an · boundA · is · foundA · flood · nearB · more · yearB
- 3 -ABA-CBC prime · dayA · eternityB · essayA · creation · littleC · eternityB · tittleC
- 4 ---AAB-B far · canopy · year · degreeA · seeA · wildernessB · floods · progressB
- 5 -ABA-B-- vast · onA · therebyB · uponA · thou · beB · flow'rs · plenteously
- 6 -A-A-B-B souls · flyA · coasts · skyA · pass · landB · tops · standB
- 7 -A-A-B-B strand · airA · beast · hairA · lust · accountB · tears · surmountB
- 8 -A-A---- aught · sumA · infinite · comeA · well · dry · reckonings · eternity
- 9 -A-A-B-B aye · aboveA · shall · loveA · eternity · theeB · happiness · beB
- 10 -A-A-B-B fear · ceaseA · destroy · peaceA · endure · liveB · bliss · giveB
- 11 -----A-A wants · one · dread · moan · things · pastA · visions · lastA
- 12 -A-A-B-B burn · seasA · doom · easeA · desperate · mendedB · till · endedB
- 13 -A-A-B-B on · propoundA · tears · boundA · smart · everB · expire · neverB
- 14 -A-A---- take · themA · al · themA · peace · felicity · place · misery
- 15 -A-A-B-B well · viceA · light · priceA · tears · expireB · ghosts · fireB
- 16 -A-A-B-B love · reignA · heretofore · sovéreignA · lust · delightB · then · flightB
- 17 -----A-A lower · puissance · made · continuance · oppress · asleepA · pen · creepA
- 18 -A-A-B-B sorry · placeA · hell · faceA · gain · dightB · friends · hightB
- 19 -A-AB-B then · beforeA · must · evermoreA · bleedB · misery · indeedB
- 20 -A-A-B-B behind · neverA · bear · everA · is · besideB · steel · bideB
- 21 -A-A-B-B undergo · hellA · shall · dwellA · far · yearB · punishment · thereB
- 22 -----A-A flakes · intolerable · sprites · unable · despite · twainA · horror · painA
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 |
|---|---|---|
| What mortal man can with a Span | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| mete out Eternity? | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| Or fathom it by depth of Wit, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| or strength of Memory? | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| The lofty Sky is not so high, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Hell's depth to this is small; | 6 | ······ |
| The World so wide is but a stride, | 8 | ········ |
| comparéd therewithal. | 6 | ······ |
| It is a main great Oce-an | 7 | ······· |
| withouten bank or bound, | 6 | ˘/˘··· |
| A deep Abyss, wherein there is | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| no bottom to be found. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| This World hath stood now since the Flood, | 8 | ········ |
| four thousand years well near, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And had before enduréd more | 7 | ······· |
| than sixteen hundred year. | 6 | ·///˘· |
| But what's the time from the World's prime, | 8 | ········ |
| unto this present day, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| If we thereby Eternity | 8 | ····˘/˘˘ |
| to measure should essay? | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| The whole duration since the Creation, | 10 | ··//˘··˘/˘ |
| though long, yet is more little, | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| If placed by Eternity, | 7 | ···˘/˘˘ |
| than is the smallest tittle. | 7 | ···/˘/˘ |
| Tell every Star both near and far, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| in Heav'n's bright Canopy | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| That doth appear throughout the year | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| of high or low degree: | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Tell every Tree that thou canst see | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| in this vast Wilderness, | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| Up in the Woods, down by the Floods, | 8 | ········ |
| in thousand miles Progress: | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| The sum is vast, yet not so vast | 8 | ········ |
| but that thou may'st go on | 6 | ······ |
| To multiply the leaves thereby, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| that hang those Trees upon: | 6 | ······ |
| Add thereunto the Drops that thou | 8 | ········ |
| imaginest to be | 6 | ˘/˘˘·· |
| In April Show'rs, that bring forth Flow'rs | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| and blossoms plenteously: | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Number the Fowls and living Souls | 8 | /˘···/˘· |
| that through the Air do fly, | 6 | ······ |
| The wingéd Hosts in all their Coasts | 7 | ······· |
| beneath the starry Sky: | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Count all the Grass as thou dost pass | 8 | ········ |
| through many a pasture-land, | 7 | ·/˘·/˘· |
| And dewy Drops that on the tops | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| of Herbs and Plants do stand: | 6 | ······ |
| Number the Sand upon the Strand, | 8 | /˘······ |
| and atoms of the Air; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And do thy best on Man and Beast, | 8 | ········ |
| to reckon every Hair: | 7 | ·/˘/˘˘· |
| Take all the Dust, if so thou lust, | 8 | ········ |
| and add to thine Account: | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Yet shall the Years of Sinners' tears, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| the Number far surmount. | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| Naught join'd to naught can ne'er make aught, | 8 | ········ |
| nor Cyphers make a Sum; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Nor things finite, to infinite | 8 | ··/··/˘˘ |
| by multiplying come: | 6 | ·/˘·˘· |
| A Cockle-shell may serve as well | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| to lade the Ocean dry | 6 | ···/˘· |
| As finite things and reckonings | 8 | ·/···/˘˘ |
| to bound Eternity. | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| Oh happy they that live for aye, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| with Christ in Heav'n above! | 6 | ······ |
| Who know withal that nothing shall | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| deprive them of his love. | 6 | ˘/···· |
| Eternity, Eternity! | 8 | ˘/˘˘˘/˘˘ |
| Oh! were it not for thee, | 6 | ······ |
| The Saints in bliss and happiness | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| could never happy be. | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| For if they were in any fear | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| that this their joy might cease, | 6 | ······ |
| It would annoy (if not destroy) | 8 | ··˘/··˘/ |
| and interrupt their peace. | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| But being sure it shall endure | 8 | ·/˘···˘/ |
| so long as God shall live; | 6 | ······ |
| The thoughts of this, unto their bliss, | 8 | ········ |
| do full perfection give. | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| Cheer up ye Saints amidst your wants | 8 | ····˘/·· |
| and sorrows many a one; | 7 | ·/˘/˘·· |
| Lift up the head, shake off all dread, | 8 | ········ |
| and moderate your moan. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Your sufferings and evil things | 8 | ·/˘˘·/˘· |
| will suddenly be past; | 6 | ·/˘˘·· |
| Your sweet Fruitions and blessed Visions, | 9 | ··˘/˘··/˘ |
| for evermore shall last. | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Lament and mourn you that must burn | 8 | ˘/······ |
| amidst those flaming Seas: | 6 | ˘/·/˘· |
| If once you come to such a doom, | 8 | ········ |
| for ever farewell ease. | 6 | ·/˘·/· |
| O sad estate and desperate, | 7 | ··˘/·/˘ |
| that never can be mended, | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Until God's Will shall change, or till | 8 | ········ |
| Eternity be ended! | 7 | ˘/˘˘·/˘ |
| If any one this Questi-on | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| shall unto me propound: | 6 | ····˘/ |
| What! have the years of Sinners' tears | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| no limits or no bound? | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| It kills our heart to think of smart, | 8 | ··/····· |
| and pains that last for ever; | 7 | ·····/˘ |
| And hear of fire that shall expire, | 8 | ···/··˘/ |
| or be extinguish'd never, | 7 | ··˘/˘/˘ |
| I'll answer make (and let them take | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| my words as I intend them; | 7 | ····˘/· |
| For this is all the Cordi-al | 8 | ········ |
| that here I have to lend them:) | 7 | ······· |
| When Heav'n shall cease to flow with peace | 8 | ········ |
| and all felicity, | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| Then Hell may cease to be the place | 8 | ········ |
| of Woe and Misery. | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| When Heav'n is Hell, when Ill is Well, | 8 | ········ |
| when Virtue turns to Vice; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| When Wrong is Right, when Dark is Light, | 8 | ········ |
| when Naught is of great price; | 6 | ······ |
| Then may the years of Sinners' tears | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| and sufferings expire, | 6 | ·/˘˘˘/ |
| And all the Hosts of damnéd Ghosts | 7 | ······· |
| escape out of Hell-fire. | 7 | ˘/···/˘ |
| When Christ above shall cease to love, | 8 | ········ |
| when God shall cease to reign | 6 | ······ |
| And be no more as heretofore | 8 | ······˘/ |
| the World's great Sovéreign; | 6 | ······ |
| Or not be just, or favor lust, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| or in Men's sins delight; | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Then wicked men (and not till then) | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| to Heav'n may take their flight. | 6 | ······ |
| When God's great Power shall be brought lower, | 9 | ···/···/˘ |
| by foreign Puissance, | 6 | ·/˘/˘˘ |
| Or be decay'd and weaker made | 8 | ··˘/·/˘· |
| through Time's continuance; | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| When drowsiness shall him oppress, | 8 | ·/˘˘··˘/ |
| and lay him fast asleep, | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Then sinful men may break their pen, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| and out of Prison creep. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| When those in Glory shall be right sorry | 10 | ···/˘···/˘ |
| they may not change their place, | 6 | ······ |
| And wish to dwell with those in Hell, | 8 | ········ |
| never to see Christ's face; | 6 | /˘···· |
| Then those in pain may freedom gain | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| and be with Glory dight: | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Then Hellish fiends may be Christ's Friends, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| and Heirs of Heavén hight. | 6 | ······ |
| Then, ah! poor men! What! not till then? | 8 | ········ |
| No, not an hour before; | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| For God is just, and therefore must | 8 | ········ |
| torment them evermore. | 6 | ˘/·/˘· |
| thou mak'st hard hearts to bleed: | 6 | ······ |
| The thoughts of thee in misery, | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| do make men wail indeed. | 6 | ····˘/ |
| When they remind what's still behind | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| and ponder this word NEVER, | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| That they must there be made to bear | 8 | ········ |
| God's Vengéance for EVER: | 6 | ····/˘ |
| The thought of this more bitter is | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| than all they feel beside; | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Yet what they feel, nor heart of steel, | 8 | ········ |
| nor flesh of brass can bide. | 6 | ······ |
| To lie in woe and undergo | 8 | ······˘/ |
| the direful pains of Hell, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| And know withal, that there they shall | 8 | ··˘/···· |
| for aye and ever dwell; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| And that they are from rest as far | 8 | ········ |
| when fifty thousand year, | 6 | ·/˘/˘· |
| Twice told, are spent in punishment, | 8 | ·····/˘˘ |
| as when they first came there; | 6 | ······ |
| This, oh! this makes Hell's fiery flakes | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| much more intolerable; | 7 | ··˘/˘˘˘ |
| This makes frail wights and damnéd sprites | 7 | ······· |
| to bear their plagues unable. | 7 | ····˘/˘ |
| This makes men bite, for fell despite, | 8 | ······˘/ |
| their very tongues in twain; | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| This makes them roar for great horror, | 8 | ······/˘ |
| and trebleth all their pain. | 7 | ·/˘˘··· |
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.