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

Je voudrais posséder pour dire tes splendeurs,
Le plain-chant triomphal des vagues sur les sables, ...

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: XaX XXX XbX XXX XXX XcX XXX XXX XXX adX XXX XXX XXb adX XXX XXc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,3,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: no rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 111010110110 011101101110 111011110000 111010011110 11011110110 11110110110 111011110101 111101111 11101011101 11101111011 11110011111 10111011101 11101111110 10111011100 111011111111 1110101101000 111111111001 110111001 11111001101 101011111010 10111101 1111011100 10111011100 111001110100 11101000110 11011010100 11011101110 110111101010 111000011011 10110111011 11011011101 111011100110 1100101011 111010110100 11011110100 10101111000 10000110110 11101111010 1110010101 101111111 11100101111 1111111010 111101010110 101011010 111100111100 111101101110 111100111110 11101111001
  • Amount of stanzas: 16
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 143
  • Average number of words per stanza: 27
  • Amount of lines: 51
  • Average number of symbols per line: 44 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; les, et, tu, comme are repeated.

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

    The author used the same words je, et at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines e, res are repeated).

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

  • summary of Cantiques;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Emile Verhaeren