This is an analysis of the poem When Love Is Lost that begins with:

When love is lost, the day sets towards the night,
Albeit the morning sun may still be bright,... 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: aabba aabA XaabbaA
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 5,4,7,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: rondeau
  • Metre: 11010110101 01001011101 1111110101 1001010101 1001010001 1101010101 1111110001 1111110001 1101 1101001101 1111010111 11010101011 1111010111 1111011101 1101
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 208
  • Average number of words per stanza: 40
  • Amount of lines: 17
  • 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 words no, love are repeated.

    The poet repeated the same word lost 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 When Love Is Lost;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Ella Wheeler Wilcox