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

Whither, midst falling dew,
While glow the heavens with the last steps of day ... 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 bcbc Xdcd efef dede dfdf gfgf gfgX
  • Stanza lengths (in strings): 4,4,4,4,4,4,4,4,
  • Closest metre: iambic tetrameter
  • Сlosest rhyme: alternate rhyme
  • Сlosest stanza type: tercets
  • Guessed form: ballad stanza
  • Metre: 101101 11010001101 1111011101 110101 100101 1111010111 1101010101 110101 110101 0101110101 1101010111 101101 1001011 1011011101 010110001 1100111 111111 1111011101 1111000101 101101 111111 1111010111 1101110111 1101101 11001010 1101111111 10110101110 111101 110101 1101011101 0011111101 011110
  • Amount of stanzas: 8
  • Average number of symbols per stanza: 147
  • Average number of words per stanza: 26
  • Amount of lines: 32
  • 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; and, soon are repeated.

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

  • summary of To A Waterfowl;
  • 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 Cullen Bryant