This is an analysis of the poem Villanelle For An Anniversary that begins with:

A spirit moved. John Harvard walked the yard,
The atom lay unsplit, the west unwon,...

Elements of the verse: questions and answers

The information we provided is prepared by means of a special computer program. Use the criteria sheet to understand greatest poems or improve your poetry analysis essay.

  • Rhyme scheme: AXX abA abX abA abX abaX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,3,3,3,3,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 0101110101 0101100110 01110101100 0111110101 01010101010 0101110101 01010101011 11011001100 01110101100 1100010101 1010101010 0101110101 1101110001 11110101110 01110101100 0101111101 1101101010 0101110101 01110101100
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 137
  • Average number of words per stanza: 24
  • Amount of lines: 19
  • Average number of symbols per line: 43 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

If you write a school or university poetry essay, you should Include in your explanation of the poem:

  • summary of Villanelle For An Anniversary;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Seamus Heaney