Thou Gloomy December by Robert Burns: poem analysis

This is an analysis of the poem Thou Gloomy December that begins with:

ANCE mair I hail thee, thou gloomy December!
Ance mair I hail thee wi' sorrow and care;... 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 aaab XcXc XabaB
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,5,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11111110010 1111111011 11010111010 1011011011 11010011010 11011011010 101010111110 1010011001 11010110010 1011101001 10010110110 1111111001 11111110010 1111111011 111010111010 1011011011
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 173
  • Average number of words per stanza: 32
  • Amount of lines: 19
  • Average number of symbols per line: 36 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7

  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; mair is repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Thou Gloomy December;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

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