This is an analysis of the poem Of Thy Life, Thomas, This Compass Well Mark that begins with:

Of thy life, Thomas, this compass well mark:
Not aye with full sails the high seas to beat,... 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: abaXbXcXdXdXeXceXeXebfbf
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 24,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 0111001011 1101101101 11110101011 1101110101 01 101010 0101001 10100100101 1010110101 1101100111 1 0101011101 0100110101 10010110110 1 011101001 10010111010 1110100101 1111111001 0110111101 0101010111 1110110101 1111111101 1001101111
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 928
  • Average number of words per stanza: 163
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 38 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

  • summary of Of Thy Life, Thomas, This Compass Well Mark;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Henry Howard