I: Easter Hymn by Alfred Edward Housman: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem I: Easter Hymn that begins with:

If in that Syrian garden, ages slain,
You sleep, and know not you are dead in vain,... 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: aabbaa ccbbdd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 00110010101 1111111101 11001011111 01011101111 0111011111 1111110101 1001110111 1011010011 1111010101 1111001101 1111010111 11010101111
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 257
  • Average number of words per stanza: 52
  • Amount of lines: 12
  • Average number of symbols per line: 42 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9

  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; in, and, your are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word your is repeated.

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

  • summary of I: Easter Hymn;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

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