This is an analysis of the poem Alfred Tennyson that begins with:

Tears, idle tears! Ah, who shall bid us weep,
Now that thy lyre, O prophet, is unstrung?... 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: aXabbcbcdedecc
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 14,
  • Closest metre: iambic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: sonnet with iambic pentameter or irregular meter
  • Metre: 1101111111 1111110010 1111011001 11010011111 1101111101 1011111111 1101011101 1111110001 1101011011 0101110111 0111111010 1101011101 1111010111 1111111011
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 630
  • Average number of words per stanza: 120
  • Amount of lines: 14
  • Average number of symbols per line: 44 (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; and, in, thee are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of Alfred Tennyson;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by Wilfrid Scawen Blunt