This is an analysis of the poem An Aurora Borealis that begins with:

O STRANGE soft gleam, o ghostly dawn
That never brightens unto day; ... 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: abab cdcd beXe eaea bfbf XgegXeded
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11111101 11010101 11111101 11110101 00111101 10111111 01011001 11011111 01010101 11010101 110110000 10110101 11011111 011010101 11001101 11010111 11111111 1101101111 01010101 10010111 11111110 111010011 10111110 11010001 111101001 11111101 11110101 01010001
  • Amount of stanzas: 7
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 145
  • Average number of words per stanza: 27
  • Amount of lines: 28
  • Average number of symbols per line: 36 (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; and is repeated.

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

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

  • summary of An Aurora Borealis;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik