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

O giant stars, born of eternal light,
O winged flames wherewith the void is sown,...

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: abba cbbc adda eccX XeeX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 1101100101 1111000101 1101000101 110101 1111011101 11010010101 0111111101 010111 110111001001 1100011101 110010110001 110101 0111000101 1101011111 0111010111 111110 1111010111 0101010101 1101010011 110100
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 150
  • Average number of words per stanza: 27
  • Amount of lines: 20
  • Average number of symbols per line: 37 (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; ye is repeated.

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

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Clark Ashton Smith