This is an analysis of the poem What The Shore Says To The Sea: Ebb-Tide that begins with:

Old, old,
Centuries old,... 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: aabbaccddeea bbaafgghhXXf aabbhhbbbbijcjjccci
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 12,12,19,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11 1001 11010111 001101 111111 01111 0100101 110111 110111 101110 10 010111 11 0101 01010101 1101010111 110100 010111 110101 110111 111100 111010 11 011100 11110 11110 101 0111 1101 1111 1111 111101 1101 1101 111100 0101010111 110101 11 1111010101 0111111100 010111 011101 110101010011
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 325
  • Average number of words per stanza: 64
  • Amount of lines: 45
  • Average number of symbols per line: 21 (very short strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 4
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

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

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines old is repeated).

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

  • summary of What The Shore Says To The Sea: Ebb-Tide;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward