This is an analysis of the poem Rio Grande that begins with:

There lies a ship at her moorings out there on yonder stream;
Her lines upon the water are lovely like a dream,...

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: aaabccbB cccBccbX dddbXXbb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 11011010111101 0101010110101 11011101001101 111110100101 11111011011110 11001010010001 10101111101011 011110100101 1101110111101 11111100010101 11110100100101 011110100101 011110101110111 11010111110101 101011010111 1010101001010 01010101110101 111001011111 111101111010101 111110100101 110110101011101 010001011010101 101110100110001 101010100101
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 462
  • Average number of words per stanza: 90
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 57 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 11
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

  • summary of Rio Grande;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Cicely Fox Smith