This is an analysis of the poem Xviii: The Rain It Streams On Stone And Hillock that begins with:

The rain, it streams on stone and hillock,
The boot clings to the clay.... 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: Xabba XcXXc XdXbd Xeffe ggeeg
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 5,5,5,5,5,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 010111110 011001 11011111 11111101 111101 011111010 110111 01011111 11011100 111111 100101110 110101 11010101 01010101 110101 011111110 1101001 11110111 11010101 011111 111101010 111101 11110111 11011001 0101001
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 171
  • Average number of words per stanza: 32
  • Amount of lines: 25
  • Average number of symbols per line: 33 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

  • summary of Xviii: The Rain It Streams On Stone And Hillock;
  • 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