This is an analysis of the poem Had I But Known that begins with:

I loved thee! Ah, those vows of love,
So fondly made, so soon unmade!... 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: ababXcaC bdbdcccC
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11111101 11011101 11011101 11011101 01110101 11110111 11111111 11111111 11011111 01110111 10011111 101110001 11110101 11100001 11110101 11111111
  • Amount of stanzas: 2
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 281
  • Average number of words per stanza: 56
  • Amount of lines: 16
  • Average number of symbols per line: 34 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • 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.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; so, i, my are repeated.

    The poet repeated the same word known at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

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

  • summary of Had I But Known;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by James Brunton Stephens