But beware, there is nothing that will help you match the sound of a line to its type or name. You can download a table of different meters in pdf format here: Table of metres/meters: Table of metres For an html version of the table, go here. Unstressed/short syllables can be indicated by a cross (x or˘ above it) and stressed/long syllables by a forward slash (/or a ¯ above it). It is simply difficult to do in a different way. However, having a classical meter and rhythm in a poem does not necessarily mean it’s better than a free-form verse. The more regular or classical the meter, the harder it is to write, and the more skill it takes from the author. It all depends on the effect the poet wants to achieve. Any number of meters and any number of feet are possible in one line. Again, meter and feet, used here, have nothing to do with the measurement of distance. When these meter patterns are repeated in a line of verse, you get the “feet” of the line. So you could ask of any line in a verse, what meter are you? Are you an iamb? Or a trochee? Five basic meter patternsĮnglish poetry basically employs five patterns of varying stressed (/¯) and unstressed (x) syllables. So when counting syllables, you count more than single words – you count the entire interconnected phrase, as you would pronounce it, not as it is spelled. Call it the road markings of a poem.Ī line can be divided either into syllables formed by words or a caesura, a complete pause or break between words in a line of poetry. “Unstressed/stressed” syllables in the English language correspond to “short/long” syllables in classical languages. “Meter” is not the measurement of distance, but the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of verse. and non-American English) or “meter” in American English which I try to use throughout) is the metrical application of rhythm of a line of verse. I prefer “meter” to “metre” because “metre” is too close for me to the unit of distance. Back to main Elements of poetry page Meter
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