This is an analysis of the poem My Midnight Meditation that begins with:

Ill busi'd man! why should'st thou take such care
To lengthen out thy life's short calendar? ... 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: XXaabb ccXbcX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 6,6,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: couplets
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: heroic couplets
  • Metre: 1101111111 0101111100 1101001101 101111010 11010111011 1111110111 1100111111 0101001101 1011110100 100101111 1111011101 1101111100
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 258
  • Average number of words per stanza: 46
  • Amount of lines: 12
  • 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.

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

  • summary of My Midnight Meditation;
  • 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 King