搞笑是一个主要的一部分,“当大树下降。”Each stanza starts with a variation on the same phrase (which also grants the poem its title):
当大树倒下,
当大树倒下,
伟大的灵魂死后,
伟大的灵魂死了,
和伟大的灵魂死后,
这利于读者线索到那些真正的“大树”象征着“伟大的灵魂”那些特殊的人帮助重塑整个世界。这也使得这首诗简单声音更强大。留下的诗歌音乐性著称;这一个,像许多其他人一样,是大声朗读。利于,还有一些其他形式的重复,更令人兴奋的听,贷款这首诗一个稳定,为听众建立节奏卷入。
的变化重复法是很重要的。演讲者削减“当”一节的开始,与实事求是的开始,而不是“伟大的灵魂死去。”This leaves no room for argument; these amazing people must always one day leave the world. The "And" at the start of the final stanza, meanwhile, creates a sense of conclusion, of the speaker wrapping things up (indeed, the poem turns toward how people can heal in the wake of the loss of great souls here).
有额外的搞笑和更广泛的例子并行性在诗中,演讲者开始多行与“我们”:“我们的眼睛”,“我们的记忆”,“我们的灵魂”,“我们的思想”,“我们的感觉。”This repetition adds to the poem's propulsive rhythm while also relaying the various ways that the dead shaped the living. These great souls affected every part of those left behind, from their souls to their minds to their senses.