The Next Table by Constantine P. Cavafy: poem analysis

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

He must be barely twenty-two years old
yet I'm certain just about that long ago...

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: abc dbXc X dXa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,4,1,3,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1101010101 10101011101 101010110 0000101011 11100001010011001 11101101101 101110110 10110101011010010101 111110110110 1101100101111001 11010111110
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 123
  • Average number of words per stanza: 25
  • Amount of lines: 11
  • Average number of symbols per line: 44 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9

  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

    The poet repeated the same word body at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

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

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

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Constantine P. Cavafy

Poems about...
✕