This is an analysis of the poem The Gift (To Iris, In Bow Street, Covent Garden) that begins with:

SAY, cruel IRIS, pretty rake,
Dear mercenary beauty,... 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: abab cdcd efef cgcg hihi
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11010101 1101010 1100100111 0100110 11010011 1111010 11010111 0111010 01010111 1101110 01110101 1101110 11110111 1111010 111100101 0101010 11110101 1101110 11111101 1110010
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 125
  • Average number of words per stanza: 23
  • Amount of lines: 20
  • Average number of symbols per line: 31 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; i'll, give, thee are repeated.

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word i'll is repeated.

    The author used the same word i'll 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 The Gift (To Iris, In Bow Street, Covent Garden);
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Oliver Goldsmith