This is an analysis of the poem Olney Hymn 16: The Sower that begins with:

Ye sons of earth prepare the plough,
Break up your fallow ground; ... 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 cbcb dede bfbf Xbeb bgbg
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic trimeter
  • Сlosest rhyme: rima
  • Сlosest stanza type: sonnet
  • Guessed form: unknown form
  • Metre: 11010101 111111 01001101 110101 01110101 110101 11110101 110111 01010101 110101 11011101 110101 01011111 010101 01010101 111101 110101110 110101 11000101 011101 10010111 010101 10111111 010101
  • Amount of stanzas: 6
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 128
  • Average number of words per stanza: 23
  • Amount of lines: 24
  • Average number of symbols per line: 31 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 6
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

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

  • summary of Olney Hymn 16: The Sower;
  • 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 Cowper