This is an analysis of the poem At Nightfall that begins with:

The dark is coming o'er the world, my playmate,
And the fields where poplars stand are very still,... 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: abcb cdXd aeXe Xfaf aded Xeae
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 010101001111 10111011101 111010110010 11101010101 01111101011 00100010111 111111101010 00101010111 01110111111 10101010101 01101111001 10101010101 01111111110 1111010111 111011101011 00101011011 01010101111 10111010111 111010111011 11111110011 01001101110 0101010101 101011111011 11111110101
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 185
  • Average number of words per stanza: 36
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 46 (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; we is repeated.

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

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

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

  • summary of At Nightfall;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Lucy Maud Montgomery