This is an analysis of the poem An Out-Worn Sappho that begins with:

How tired I am! I sink down all alone
Here by the wayside of the Present. Lo,... full text

Elements of the verse: questions and answers

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  • Rhyme scheme: ababbXbbc dbdbbcbbc Xefeeceec dadaacaac gcgcccccc ceceXceec gcfcccccc hihiiciic jcjccccjc kckcccccc Xacaacaac
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 9,9,9,9,9,9,9,9,9,9,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: enclosed rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 11011111101 1101100011 10101111111 0101111101 0101110101 11010111010 0101011101 1101011101 1111010 1111000111 0101110101 1100111111 0100011101 1101011101 11111111010 0111111110 1101010101 0111110 1101010101 1100011101 11001010100 1111111101 1011110011 11011101010 110111001011 0111011111 1101110 1101010111 1111010101 1011011111 1101110101 1101110110 11111101010 1111111111 1011001101 1111110 11011011101 0101110101 0101110101 1111011111 1101111011 1101011111 0111010101 0101010101 1101110 1111011111 1100010101 0101110101 011101001001 1001010111 11000101010 1101010101 1101110111 1111010 1101010101 1100110101 11010110100 1100111101 0111110111 11011101010 1100110001 1101110111 1111110 1111110101 1111011111 1001111101 10111100101 0101010001 11010111010 1101111111 1101010101 0111010 11110011001 0101001111 1000010101 1101010010 11101111001 11011111010 1101001101 111101110 1101110 1111010101 0101110001 0101110111 1111000111 0101111101 0101011101 0111110111 1101010101 1101110 1111111111 0100110101 1101011101 1111010111 0101110111 11010111010 1101010101 1111011101 1101110
  • Amount of stanzas: 11
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 370
  • Average number of words per stanza: 71
  • Amount of lines: 99
  • Average number of symbols per line: 40 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words and, i, so, to are repeated.

    The author used the same word and at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    The poet repeated the same word tired 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 An Out-Worn Sappho;
  • 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 Whitcomb Riley