Hymn Mechanics I:
Literary Aspects of a Hymn

The HYMN is a distinct literary form and here are specific considerations:

Form
Rhyme Scheme
Metrical Pattern
Poetic Devices
Literary Patterns

The FORM of a HYMN:

When considering the overall form or structure of any HYMN (unless it is FREE VERSE), one can immediately observe that a hymn is divided into distinct STANZAS. STANZA refers to the consistent organization of lines (verses) into a complete unit of poetry. VERSE (not to be confused with STANZA) is a single line of poetry within a STANZA. Consider the following hymn:

Drop, drop slow tears,
And bathe those beauteous feet,
Which brought from heav’n
The news and Prince of Peace.

Cease not, wet eyes,
His mercies to entreat;
To cry for vengeance
Sin doth never cease.

In your deep floods
Drown all my faults and fears;
Nor let this eye
See sin, but through my tears.

-- Phineas Fletcher, 1623

How many stanzas?

How many verses in each stanza?

Rhyme Scheme:

Rhyme scheme refers to the regularly recurring hymnic patterns of the individual lines of poetry (verses) within a single stanza. Consider the following rhyme schemes:

O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace! My gracious master and my God, assist me to proclaim, to spread through all the earth abroad the honors of thy name. Jesus! the name that charms our fears, that bids our sorrows cease; ’tis music in the sinner ears; ’tis life, and health, and peace. -- Charles Wesley, 1739 (MH 57)

A B A B A B A B A B A B

The RHYME SCHEME is ABAB.
Rhyming verses are usually indented.

Metrical Pattern

Just as in music, metered poetry has a distinct rhythm based on strong and weak accents. These accents (beats) are associated with the individual SYLLABLES in the line of poetry and generally follow the natural accents of common pronunciation. These accents are then grouped into larger units called FEET. For example:

Poetry	Number of syllables per line:	Number of metrical feet per line:
O for a thous-and tongues to sing my great Re-deem-er's praise, the glo-ries of my God and King, the tri-umphs of his grace! -- Charles Wesley, 1739 (MH 57)	8 6 8 6	4 3 4 3

The bold type indicates ACCENTS, or syllables which are stress stronger than others. It is natural to say thou-sand, not thou-sand.

The groupings of accents from strong beat to strong beat form a lager unit called a metrical foot. In the above example there are four metrical feet

The METER of the hymn is synonymous with the NUMBER OF SYLLABLES PER LINE OF POETRY. For example, the METER of the above hymn text (O for a thousand tongues to sing) is 8.6.8.6. Often used meters include:

COMMON METER 8.6.8.6 (CM)
SHORT METER 6.6.8.6 (SM)
LONG METER 8.8.8.8 (LM)
COMMON METER DOUBLE 8.6.8.6.8.6.8.6 (CMD)
LONG METER DOUBLE 8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8 (LMD)
SHORT METERDOUBLE 6.6.8.6.6.6.8.6 (SM)

SAPPHIC METER 11.11.11.5 (very rare; when found, usually in 17th cent. German Chorales)

Another important issue involved with METER has to do with the organization of METRICAL FEET. A FOOT starts either on a strong (accented) or weak (unaccented) beat. A 2-beat foot beginning on a weak beat is referred to as, IAMBIC (see"O for a thousand tongues to sing"). A 2-beat-foot beginning on a strong beat is called TROCHAIC (see, "All who love and serve your city" - MH 433).

IAMBIC PENTAMETER = 5 metrical feet per line of poetry, each foot begins on a weak (unstressed) beat.
TROCHAIC TETRAMETER = 4 metrical feet per line of poetry, each foot begins on a STRONG (stressed) beat.

For further reading, see SWU, Chapter 1, pp. 14 - 19. Also see AOH.

What is the metrical organization of the following hymns:?

MH 505 When our confidence is shaken (Fred Pratt Green, 1971)
MH 140 Great is thy faithfulness (Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923)

Poetic Devices

Hymns make use of certain POETIC DEVICES that are common in classical poetry. Consider the following hymn:

O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer's praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!

My gracious master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all the earth abroad
the honors of thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
’tis music in the sinner ears;
’tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.

He speaks, and, listening to His voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come,
And leap, ye lame, for joy.

In Christ your Head, you then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.

-- Charles Wesley, 1739 (MH 57)

In addition to being one of the greatest religious leaders of his day, Charles Wesley was also one of the great poets. Demonstrated within his hymn are a variety of ‘devices’ for expression, including:

HYPERBOLE: A figure making use of exaggeration ("O for a thousand tongues to sing")

ANADIPLOSIS: Using words or ideas ending one stanza as the start of the next stanza (see end of stanza one leading to the beginning of stanza two; the end of stanza two leading to stanza three)

ALLITERATION: The repetition of the same first sound in consecutive words: ("thousand tongues"; "sorrows cease"; "leap ye lame")

ANTITHESIS: Sharply contrasting ideas set in juxtaposition ("sets the prisoner free'; "make the foulest clean"; "New life the dead receive")

CLIMAX: Arranging ideas in an ascending order of intensity ’tis music in the sinner ears; ’tis life, and health, and peace.")

PERSONIFICATION: The representation of a thing or abstraction as a person or by physical form ("hearts rejoice")

APOSTROPHE: Speaking to or addressing inanimate objects or concepts("hearts rejoice")

Other poetic devices that are common in hymns include:

ANAPHORA: The repetition of the same word at the beginning of successive lines (see MH 240, st. 3; MH 196, st. 2)

PARADOX: A Statement that is contradictory (Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free -- George Matheson, 1890)

SIMILE: Comparing unlike objects in one respect (“Peter is like a rock”)

METAPHOR: Using a word or phrase denoting one kind of idea in place of another ( (“Peter is a rock”)

TAUTOLOGY: The repetition of the same thought in a slightly different way (I am tired, I am weak, I am worn, MH 474)

CHIASMUS: From the Greek (kiazmus), meaning CROSS. Setting two objects or concepts in contrast (not to be confused with ANTITHESIS). See Watts', "When I survey the wondrous cross," stanza 4:

His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.

For further reading, see:

SWU, Chapter 1, pp. 20 - 28
SCH, Introduction
Also see AOH.

Literary Patterns

LITERARY PATTERNS are a method of organizing the stanzas of a hymn. For example:

ITEMIZATION: Beginning each stanza with a the same word or a similar concept. See "Open my eyes that I may see" (MH 454)

1. Open my eyes, that I may see
2. Open my ears, that I may hear
3. Open my mouth, and let me bear

DIALOGUE: Organizing consecutive stanzas using question/answer. See "Who is he in yonder stall" (MH 190). It's usually easy to find hymns which use this pattern -- just look for an opening word which asks a question: "Who", "What", 'Where"," Why", etc.

LITANY: Each stanza ends with the same phrase or concept. See "Ask ye what great thing I know" (MH 163)

CALL AND RESPONSE: Common to Afro-American spirituals, Each line (verse) in a stanza ends with the same phrase. See "Lord, I want to be a Christian" (MH 402)

See SWU, Chapter 1

See Hymn Mechanics II: Musical Aspects of a Hymn

See Hymn Terminology