This is an analysis of the poem Pity that begins with:

They never saw my lover's face,
They only know our love was brief, ... 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 cXcX dada
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11011101 11011111 10010101 11011101 11011111 11011111 111011101 101111010 11011111 10111101 11001101 11110111
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 141
  • Average number of words per stanza: 27
  • Amount of lines: 12
  • Average number of symbols per line: 34 (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; they is repeated.

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

    The author used the same word they 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 Pity;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Sara Teasdale