This is an analysis of the poem The Old Hymn that begins with:

The windows and the doors were op'ed,
The splendid church was full of light, ...

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: Xaaab cb X d ad ae fe f c Xc Xg hgXh
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 5,2,1,1,2,2,2,1,1,2,2,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 010101010 01011101 11010111 01010111 01010101 11011101 11010101 111010011 11001111 01001101 11010111 01010101 11010101 101010101 11011101 010111001 11010011 1101101 11010101 11010001 010100101 10011111 01011111 11011101
  • Amount of stanzas: 13
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 65
  • Average number of words per stanza: 12
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 35 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

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

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

  • summary of The Old Hymn;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Robert Kirkland Kernighan