This is an analysis of the poem Lay His Sword By His Side that begins with:

Lay his sword by his side -- it hath served him too well
Not to rest near his pillow below; ... 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: ababcdcd eXeXfgfg hhhhiXiX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 8,8,8,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: blank verse
  • Metre: 101101011111 101101001 001101001101 0111100101 1010001101001 11110101001 11111110001 101100001 11101001111 101001101 11001101001 11001110110 101001101011 1001011011011 111011010001 011001001 10110001011001 101111101 11011101001 10100101101 101101111011 00101110101 111001011011 110111100
  • Amount of stanzas: 3
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 398
  • Average number of words per stanza: 71
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 49 (strings are more long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 9
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; his, to, in, it are repeated.

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

  • summary of Lay His Sword By His Side;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Thomas Moore