This is an analysis of the poem The Oldest Inhabitant Hears Far Off The Drums Of Death that begins with:

Sometimes 'tis far off, and sometimes 'tis nigh,
Such drummerdery noises too they be ! ...

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: aAababbb cdacdA
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: sonnet with iambic pentameter or irregular meter
  • Metre: 0111110111 1100010110 1111111101 1101010101 1101011101 1001110101 1011110101 1101010011 1111110111 110111011 1100010101 11010101001 1101011111 1100010110
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 298
  • Average number of words per stanza: 57
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • Average number of symbols per line: 42 (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; 'tis, and are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word and is repeated.

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

  • summary of The Oldest Inhabitant Hears Far Off The Drums Of Death;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Frederick William (FW) Harvey