This is an analysis of the poem The Old Song that begins with:

When I was a young lad of happy sixteen
There came to my window the Cushla-mo chree,...

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: aXbcXbaXcX dacXeXbbXb XaXadcbXaeaX aecXfXdcfXXX beXXbebX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 10,10,12,12,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: no rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 11101101001 11011001011 101111101001 101111101001 10110101101 10110110011 111001111001 0110010011110 111011111011 11111011111 111011011011 111001001001 11001111001 11001111001 11011011001 0110010110110 10101011111 11101011011 11011111011 11101101111 100101001101 111111111111 11111111101 111101011101 11111011011 11001001001 01001001001 111111011011 11011011001 11001111011 11001011101 011001001101 11111101001 01101101111 111011011001 101111011101 11101011001 11001001111 11011011101 01101001001 11011011111 101001101001 11001001111 101011011001 111001111011 11001011011 101101011011 011001001101 11101111011 111001111111 111101001101 111111011101
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 511
  • Average number of words per stanza: 107
  • Amount of lines: 52
  • Average number of symbols per line: 48 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 10
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; song, of, and, i, your, my, he, in, his are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words and, o, your are repeated.

    The author used the same word o 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 The Old Song;
  • 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