This is an analysis of the poem Anselmo that begins with:

Years did I vainly seek the good Lord's grace--,
Prayed, fasted, and did penance dire and dread;... 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: ababbXbX cdcdeXeX cX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,2,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 0011010011 11010101011 0101011101 1101010111 1101010111 110111111000 1110010111 11111101010 0101011101 0101011111 101101001001 1101111111 1101011111 1111010010 1111110101 11011101110 1001111111 1001111110
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 276
  • Average number of words per stanza: 53
  • Amount of lines: 18
  • Average number of symbols per line: 45 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

  • summary of Anselmo;
  • 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