Analysis of A Song to Veronica

Robert W Watson 1951 (Blackwell OK)



When Jesus stumbled with his wooden rood,
Veronica, with bold humility,
Stepped before the mob in malignant mood,
Fearing neither wrath nor its enmity.
Kneeling down, she wiped away sweat and gore
From off that holy brow, to later find
Visage true of him, whom she knelt before,
Affixed upon her humble cloth enshrined.
Ah! But thou, bright bringer of victory,
Hast kindness as thy namesake did express,
But her shawl shall perish with history.
More blessed am I than she for I possess
A relic better than all sacred art—
Thy image true imprinted on my heart.


Scheme ABABCDCDBEBEFF
Poetic Form
Metre 1101011101 0100110100 1010100101 1010111100 1011101101 1111011101 1011111101 0101010101 111111100 110111101 1011101100 1111111101 0101011101 1101010111
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 562
Words 107
Sentences 5
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 32
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 445
Words per stanza (avg) 98

About this poem

The poem is to St. Veronica who wiped the face of Jesus as he was going to the cross. The inspiration of the poem comes from a friend of mine who is called Veronica. Below the title: Veronica: she who brings victory; vera icon (true image)

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Written on April 01, 2020

Submitted by RobertWWatson on April 27, 2023

32 sec read
67

Robert W Watson

I served in the U.S. Navy for nine years from 1969 to 1978. I have spent many years as a student and as a teacher, having three degrees: BA, MEd, and JD. I taught at the high school and college levels, teaching literature, rhetorical writing, Latin, and philosophy. I am active with my church, St. Michael's Anglican Church, Broken Arrow OK. My interests include writing, reading, and gardening. more…

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