This is an analysis of the poem Old Engine Driver that begins with:

For five and twenty years I've run
A famous train;...

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: aaaabcbc dbdXefef gcgcXaXa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11110011 0101 11110101 1111 11010101 0101 11010101 1101 11111101 1011 11010011 0101 11010101 0101 01000111 1111 11110111 0101 1111101 1101 10110100 1101 11111101 1101
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 246
  • Average number of words per stanza: 40
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 30 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 5
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; my, and are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Old Engine Driver;
  • 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