This is an analysis of the poem Say, Lad, Have You Things To Do? that begins with:

Say, lad, have you things to do?
Quick then, while your day's at prime. ... 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 acac dbdX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: trochaic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1111101 1111111 1101111 1111111 1111111 1111111 1111111 1011111 1010101 1010101 1011101 1011110100
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 131
  • Average number of words per stanza: 27
  • Amount of lines: 12
  • Average number of symbols per line: 32 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; me is repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words quick, and are repeated.

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

  • summary of Say, Lad, Have You Things To Do?;
  • 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