Thou shalt keep them, 0 Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever."
Conceptually, the poem has four separate stanzas, each with the rhyme scheme of ababcdc. It is structured in the form of the Shakespearean or Elizabethan sonnet. Verbal introductions (e.g. Help, left, standeth, seeks, etc.) serve to move the poem in a melodious way. In fact, reading this poem one is almost caught with it as a sermon or oration. Many of the words have a harsher, or staccato-like timbre, a sharp contrast to the love sonnets of the era (bitter, wicked, pierce, fear, etc.). This sharpness, combined with the oratorical style serves Bacon's purpose of slightly arguing, slightly full of angst, and slightly arrogant -- towards God. This, too, echoes much of the Biblical Job.
The poem does not read as if it was contrived, testament to Bacon's clear genius with language as well as his intelligence and ability to work within the stylistic nature of his time. Listed below are some of the literary devices that appear in the poem:
Device
Phrase or Word
Comments
Allegory
Wicked's den (I:i)
Symbolic representation for Hell
Metaphor
Noble Gold (III:vii)
Gold is noble because it is pure and untainted with sin due to passing through fire.
Onomatopoeia
To invade and scour (III:iii)
Harshness in God's wrath against Hell
Foreshadowing
Now for the bitter…I will no more forebear (III:i-ii)
Hints at events to form climax
Personification
Confidence of truth; lying loud (II:iv)
Confidence and lying are human qualities; Bacon gives them over to adjectives.
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