This is an analysis of the poem They Did Not See Thy Face that begins with:

Some on the pleasant hillside have thought they saw thee pass,
As flings a cloud before the sun a shadow on the grass....

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: aaaabbaa ccaaaaaa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1101011111111 11010101011101 11110111110111 11011101101111 11010101011101 11010101010101 11010011011101 11110101101111 11010101110101 010101101111101 11111101110011 11111101111111 11110101110110 11010111010111 110111001010101 11010101011101
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 492
  • Average number of words per stanza: 92
  • Amount of lines: 16
  • Average number of symbols per line: 61 (very long strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 12
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; thy, they are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words they, that are repeated.

    The poet repeated the same word face 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 They Did Not See Thy Face;
  • 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