This is an analysis of the poem A Rhyme For The Odes (Mu'Allaqat) that begins with:

No one guided me to myself. I am the guide
Between desert and sea, I am my own guide to myself....

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: abcdaXefXgfXechchadaacaiXjgXjcgXaXiXicceccbaejdXajXXccb
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 55,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: no rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 111010111101 01101111111011 1010101010001111 01101101011101001 0101001000010101 101010001000 1101000110100101 11100010110111110 11110111111100110 11110111100110 11011010001010 11111100010011 1101001000010 011110111 111111101111 0110111010110 01110010000101011 111011111011 00110010010101 011111010 1100111010110111010 1101100011 11111011010 11010101100 00100100110001 1011101001 11010100100 011001011111110 1111101101110 11101010 111111110110 1111110 11010011001 101011100 1110011001 10101100101111101 11110110101001 11101001 1110111 11110010110001 010101010 101011011 11001101 1111100101 111001 11101001101 11101011011110010 101011110101001110 0011011001101 001100101001101 11010011010010100110 1101101110010 1110011 11101 11000111010010
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 2661
  • Average number of words per stanza: 512
  • Amount of lines: 55
  • Average number of symbols per line: 47 (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; to, of, i, my, language, be, me, they, and, emigrated, their are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same words i, they, let, this are repeated.

    There is a poetic device epiphora at the end of some neighboring lines emigrated is repeated).

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

  • summary of A Rhyme For The Odes (Mu'Allaqat);
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Mahmoud Darwish