This is an analysis of the poem Psalm 115 that begins with:

The true God our refuge; or, Idolatry reproved.
Not to ourselves, who are but dust,... 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: X abab cXcX dede fgfg gggg hihi jaja ehXh
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 1,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 01111010100100 10011111 10010101 01011101 11010111 11011101 11010101 01110111 11000111110 01110101 01010101 11010001 11111111 10110101 11010111 11010101 01011101 01111111 11111111 01110101 11110001 11010101 11011101 10110111 10011111 11010111 11110111 01111101 11010101 01111111 11010101 11110111 110111001
  • Amount of stanzas: 9
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 136
  • Average number of words per stanza: 26
  • Amount of lines: 33
  • Average number of symbols per line: 36 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; their, thy, and are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word not is repeated.

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

  • summary of Psalm 115;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Isaac Watts