This is an analysis of the poem The Shepherd that begins with:

He wore an old blue shirt the night that first we met,
An old and tattered cabbage-tree concealed his locks of jet;... 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: aabX ccbbbb ddbbee ff
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,6,6,2,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 111111011111 11110101010101 0111010010101 111101011110101 11110101101111 101010101010101 11110111110101 0111011100101111 1010111111101 01010011110101 11110101111001 101010100010101 11011111010111 01111101111111 10110101110111 0010111010010101 1111010111101 011111011011001
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 267
  • Average number of words per stanza: 54
  • Amount of lines: 18
  • Average number of symbols per line: 59 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 12
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

    The author used the same word i at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

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

  • summary of The Shepherd;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Banjo Paterson