This is an analysis of the poem By The River Ii that begins with:

WHEN by the broad stream thou dost dwell,
Oft shallow is its sluggish flood;...

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: a ba b c cc X X dXXd
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 1,2,1,1,2,1,1,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11011111 11000101 11111101 010010111 01011111 01010101 11111101 11100111 00011100 11111101 110110000 11110101
  • Amount of stanzas: 9
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 49
  • Average number of words per stanza: 9
  • Amount of lines: 12
  • 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.

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

  • summary of By The River Ii;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe