This is an analysis of the poem Epitaph On An Army Of Mercenaries that begins with:

These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when earth's foundations fled,... full text

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: abab bcbc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ottava rima
  • Metre: 1001110110 010110101 101101010 11110111 110101010 11110101 110101010 11010111
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 152
  • Average number of words per stanza: 25
  • Amount of lines: 8
  • Average number of symbols per line: 37 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • 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 Epitaph On An Army Of Mercenaries;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Alfred Edward Housman