This is an analysis of the poem If We Had Met that begins with:

If we had met when leaves were green,
And fate to us less hard had proved,... 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 cdcd caca eded
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 01111101 11011111 11100110 11111111 01111111 01010111 11100011 11111011 110111001 01011101 11111101 11111111 11110101 101010101 01101111 11111111
  • Amount of stanzas: 4
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 142
  • Average number of words per stanza: 31
  • Amount of lines: 16
  • Average number of symbols per line: 35 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 8
  • 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 author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; had, too are repeated.

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

    The author used the same word if 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 If We Had Met;
  • 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