This is an analysis of the poem Not Worth The Toil! that begins with:

NOT all the sum of earthly happiness
Is worth the bowed head of a moment's pain,...

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: ababcdcd bebefgfg bhbhcgXg gfgfifif gigijaja
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 1101010100 0101100101 1011111101 1111110111 1111011101 10011010101 1101010111 1101 1001011111 1101011101 1101010001 1011010101 1100111111 10010101111 0101101101 1101 1111011101 1111011101 01011010111 1101011101 1101010001 1011011111 0101010100 1101 0101010101 1001011101 00011101011 1111010001 1111011101 1111010001 0101010111 11011 1101000111 1100010001 1101010101 0101001111 1111000101 1111010001 1101010011 1101
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 319
  • Average number of words per stanza: 61
  • Amount of lines: 40
  • Average number of symbols per line: 39 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

    The poet used anaphora at the beginnings of some neighboring lines. The same word not is repeated.

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

  • summary of Not Worth The Toil!;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Shams al-Din Hafiz Shirazi