This is an analysis of the poem Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway! that begins with:

Ah! may the red rose live alway,
— To smile upon earth and sky!... 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: X A B A a c d c X A B A X E F G F c d h d E F G F X X g X g d i h i X A BXA
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,3,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rondeau rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11011110 0101111 110100101 1101001 10010101 1110101 10010111 1100101 11011110 0101111 110100101 1101001 1 11010101 100111 110100111 1101001 101100101 11001001 10010100 10110111 11010101 100111 110100111 1101001 1 100100101 11001010 110101101 10010110 101110101 0101111 111011101 1100101 11011110 0101111 110100101 1101001
  • Amount of stanzas: 38
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 32
  • Average number of words per stanza: 6
  • Amount of lines: 38
  • Average number of symbols per line: 32 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    There are many exclamation marks in the poem. The speaker is excited. He or she has strong feelings on the subject that is described in the poem.

    The speaker asks many questions. Perhaps, he or she is in confusion.

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

  • summary of Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway!;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Stephen Collins Foster