This is an analysis of the poem An Old Story that begins with:

I.
In the ancient house of ages,...

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: X abXbcdXd efefghgh X aaaaieiX jjjjkfkf X lhlhaaaa dXdmgcgc X XjXjXkikXmemehihi
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 1,8,8,1,8,8,1,8,8,1,17,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1 00101010 11101 00111100 10101 10111010 00111 10101100 10111 1011111 10111 1011101 00111 001001010 00101 10111010 111001 1 1110101 111010 1110101 1110010 10111110 10100 1001110 01000 10101011 11111 11101111 11101 001101010 10101 11111010 10111 1 1010101 11101 1011111 10101 10101110 10100 11001010 10101 1010101 111010 1010101 101010 00111010 11111 11100010 00100 1 1110101 10111 1010011 11001 101101100 11100 100101010 10101 111101010 10101 10111110 10101 1010111 10111 1010101 10111
  • Amount of stanzas: 12
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 150
  • Average number of words per stanza: 27
  • Amount of lines: 71
  • Average number of symbols per line: 24 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 5
  • 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.

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

  • summary of An Old Story;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by George MacDonald