This is an analysis of the poem What Was Lost that begins with:

I SING what was lost and dread what was won,
I walk in a battle fought over again,... 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: aaaaa
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 5,
  • Closest metre: trochaic pentameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: limerick
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 1111111111 11001011001 11011111011 1001011011 111110111
  • Amount of stanzas: 1
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 211
  • Average number of words per stanza: 44
  • Amount of lines: 5
  • Average number of symbols per line: 41 (medium-length strings)
  • 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; lost, and are repeated.

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

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

  • summary of What Was Lost;
  • central theme;
  • idea of the verse;
  • history of its creation;
  • critical appreciation.

Good luck in your poetry interpretation practice!

More information about poems by William Butler Yeats