This is an analysis of the poem Herod that begins with:

The Virgin speaks Draw back the starry curtains of the night,
O Cherubim, and Seraphim!...

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: aXabaX Xacac Xbcbc XdXde XbfXfbgbg Xcaca Xchch Xaeae eX XX X
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,5,5,5,9,5,5,5,2,2,1,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 01011101010001 11001100 1101010001 1111110101 1111011101 011111110100 1001010100 1101010101 01000010101 1111010111 1101010101 10010100 1101011101 1101110101 1111010101 1111010101 100101000 1111010111 1011110101 1111010111 0111000101 1001010000 1101010111 0101111111 111101100 1111110101 0101110101 0101011101 1101010101 1101010101 1001010 1101011100 0101010011 1100010111 0101010101 10010001000 1101010101 0101110101 1101010101 1111011111 100100100 1101010001 1101110101 1101111101 1101010101 100110010100001 11011001000 100101001010 111010100 1001100100
  • Amount of stanzas: 11
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 183
  • Average number of words per stanza: 32
  • Amount of lines: 50
  • Average number of symbols per line: 39 (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; that, to, her are repeated.

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

    The poet repeated the same word ' 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 Herod;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Dora Sigerson Shorter