"By Night when Others Soundly Slept"

"By Night when Others Soundly Slept"

By night when others soundly slept

And hath at once both ease and Rest,

My waking eyes were open kept

And so to lie I found it best.

 

I sought him whom my Soul did Love,

With tears I sought him earnestly.

He bow'd his ear down from Above.

In vain I did not seek or cry.

 

My hungry Soul he fill'd with Good;

He in his Bottle put my tears,

My smarting wounds washt in his blood,

And banisht thence my Doubts and fears.

 

What to my Saviour shall I give

Who freely hath done this for me?

I'll serve him here whilst I shall live

And Loue him to Eternity.

Figurative language coincides with literal language to create imagery for a setting, character, and events. In Bradstreet's poem "By Night when Others Soundly Slept" she develops God through personification.
In presenting the power of God to the reader, Bradstreet says, "He bow'd his ear down from Above" (Line 7). Literally the action seems impossible, but figuratively Bradstreet is delineating God as omnipresent. Because of the strong Christian foundation, God is the protagonist and provider in the poem. Characterization is heightened by figurative language, especially personification.