It suggest's mystery by using a date that seems to be picked at random.
Iambic pentameter is the type of meter that contains 10 syllables per line that are alternately unstressed and stressed.
"A prop is worth a thousand words" would mean that a carefully selected prop could explain the situation better than to use words to explain it. The expression is similar to that of - a picture is worth a thousand words, they mean the same, basically.
