This is an analysis of the poem Olney Hymn 53: My Soul Thirsteth For God that begins with:

I thirst, but not as once I did,
The vain delights of earth to share; ... 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 eded fgfgXbebe
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 11111110 01010101 110100101 11111101 01010111 11110101 11100111 01011101 111110101 11011101 11010111 11010101 11000101 11010101 11011111 01011101 11010111 01001101 11110001 11110111
  • Amount of stanzas: 5
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 145
  • Average number of words per stanza: 27
  • Amount of lines: 20
  • Average number of symbols per line: 36 (medium-length strings)
  • Average number of words per line: 7
  • Mood of the speaker:

    The punctuation marks are various. Neither mark predominates.

  • The author used lexical repetitions to emphasize a significant image; i, of, that are repeated.

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

  • summary of Olney Hymn 53: My Soul Thirsteth For God;
  • 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