This is an analysis of the poem To Mary that begins with:

The twentieth year is well nigh past
Since first our sky was overcast;— ... 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: aXaB cXcB dddB XeeB aaaB fffB aaaB gggB hhhB XXXB eeeB cccBXaaaB
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,9,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 010010111 111111000 11101001 110 11010101 111101010 11011111 110 11010101 11110101 111001111 110 11110110 01110111 11110110 110 11110010001 11110101 11010101 110 10010101 11010001 111110001 110 11011101 11110011 110101011 110 11111011 11110111 01110111 110 10001101 11110101 11011101 110 11000111 111100111 01111111 110 11011101 01010111 01000101 110 11110111 11010111 01110101 110 11110101 01010001 11110111 110
  • Amount of stanzas: 13
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 117
  • Average number of words per stanza: 22
  • Amount of lines: 52
  • Average number of symbols per line: 29 (strings are less long than medium ones)
  • Average number of words per line: 5
  • 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; thou, to are repeated.

    The author used the same word thy at the beginnings of some neighboring stanzas. The figure of speech is a kind of anaphora.

    The poet repeated the same word mary at the end of some neighboring stanzas. The poetic device is a kind of epiphora.

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

  • summary of To Mary;
  • 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