This is an analysis of the poem Maids In May that begins with:

Three maids there were in meadow bright,
The eldest less then seven;...

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 cdcX bcXc cece cfcf gXgXhdhd ijij eX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,8,4,2,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11100111 0101110 11010001 1100110 110110101 1101010 11001111 1110010 1110101 1101011 01000110 0101011 11111101 1111010 11110001 0111110 11011111 0101011 01001101 0111011 11011111 1101010 11000101 1111010 11010111 1101010 11110111 1111110 11011101 1101010 11011111 0101110 111101110 01010001
  • Amount of stanzas: 9
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 122
  • Average number of words per stanza: 22
  • Amount of lines: 35
  • 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; me, and are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Maids In May;
  • 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 William Service