Cummings
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By
Michael J. Cummings...©
2006
.......In
verse and poetry, meter is a recurring pattern of stressed (accented, or
long) and unstressed (unaccented, or short) syllables in lines of a set
length. For example, suppose a line contains ten syllables (set length)
in which the first syllable is unstressed, the second is stressed, the
third is unstressed, the fourth is stressed, and so on until the line reaches
the tenth syllable. The line would look like the following one (the opening
line of Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18") containing a pattern of unstressed and
stressed syllables. The unstressed syllables are in blue and the stressed
syllables in red.
Shall
I
com
PARE
thee
TO
a
SUM
mer’s
DAY?
Each pair of unstressed and
stressed syllables makes up a unit called a foot. The line contains
five feet in all, as shown next:
....1..............
2.................3..............4................
5
Shall.I..|..com.PARE..|..thee.TO..|..a.SUM..|..mer’s
DAY?
 .......A
foot containing an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
(as above) is called an iamb. Because there are five feet in the
line, all iambic, the meter of the line is iambic pentameter.
The prefix pent in pentameter means five (Greek: penta,
five). Pent is joined to words or word roots to form new words
indicating five. For example, the Pentagon in Washington has five sides,
the Pentateuch of the Bible consists of five books, and a pentathlon in
a sports event has five events. Thus, poetry lines with five feet are in
pentameter.
.......Some
feet in verse and poetry have different stress patterns. For example, one
type of foot consists of two unstressed syllables followed by a stressed
one. Another type consists of a stressed one followed by an unstressed
one. In all, there are six types of feet:
.
| Iamb (Iambic) |
Unstressed + Stressed |
Two Syllables |
| Trochee (Trochaic) |
Stressed + Unstressed |
Two Syllables |
| Spondee (Spondaic) |
Stressed + Stressed |
Two Syllables |
| Anapest (Anapestic) |
Unstressed + Unstressed
+ Stressed |
Three Syllables |
| Dactyl (Dactylic |
Stressed + Unstressed +
Unstressed |
Three Syllables |
| Pyrrhic |
Unstressed + Unstressed |
Two Syllables |
.
The length of lines—and
thus the meter—can also vary. Following are the types of meter and the
line length:
.
| Monometer |
One Foot |
|
|
|
| Dimeter |
Two Feet |
|
|
|
| Trimeter |
Three Feet |
|
|
|
| Tetrameter |
Four Feet |
|
|
|
| Pentameter |
Five Feet |
|
|
|
| Hexameter |
Six Feet |
|
|
|
| Heptameter |
Seven Feet |
|
|
|
| Octameter |
Eight Feet |
|
|
|
.
.......Meter
is determined by the type of foot and the number of feet in a line. Thus,
a line with three iambic feet is known as iambic trimeter. A line with
six dactylic feet is known as dactylic hexameter. .
.
Examples From Poems
Following are additional
examples feet and meter combinations.
Iambic Pentameter
From "On His Blindness,"
by John Milton
1.............2.............
3...............4..............5
When I..|..con
SID..|..er
HOW..|..my
LIFE..|..is
SPENT
1.................2..............
3..................4...................4
Ere HALF..|..my
DAYS..|..in
THIS..|..dark
WORLD..|..and
WIDE
Mixed
Meter With Iambic Feet
From "Intimations of Immortality,"
by William Wordsworth
.........1...............2.................3.....................4......................5
There WAS..|..a
TIME..|..when
MEAD..|..ow,
GROVE,..|..and
STREAM, |
Iambic Pentameter |
.........1................2...............3................4.
The EARTH,..|..and
EV..|..ry
COM..|..mon
SIGHT, |
Iambic Tetrameter |
.....1..............2
To ME..|..did
SEEM |
Iambic Dimeter |
......1..............2.............3...............4
Ap PAR..|..elled
IN..|..cel
EST..|..ial
LIGHT, |
Iambic Tetrameter |
........1..............2.................3................4.................5
The GLOR..|..y
AND..|..the
FRESH..|..ness
OF..|..a
DREAM. |
Iambic Pentameter |
..1.............2.............3.............4..................5
It IS..|..not
NOW..|..as
IT..|..hath
BEEN..|..of
YORE; |
Iambic Pentameter |
........1....................2.............3
Turn WHERE..|..so
E'ER..|..I
MAY, |
Iambic Trimeter |
.......1..............2
By NIGHT..|..or
DAY, |
Iambic Dimeter |
..........1...............2.................3................4................5..............6
The THINGS..|..which
I..|..have
SEEN..|..I
NOW..|..can
SEE..|..no
MORE. |
Iambic Hexameter |
Anapestic Tetrameter
From "The Destruction of
Sennacherib," by George Gordon Lord Byron
........1.......................2..........................3......................4
The As SYR..|..ian
came DOWN..|..like
the WOLF..|..on
the FOLD,
........1.......................2..........................3....................4
And his CO..|..horts
were GLEAM..|..ing
in PUR..|..ple
and GOLD;
.........1.........................2.............................3.......................4
And the SHEEN..|..of
their SPEARS..|..was
like STARS..|..on
the SEA
Trochaic Tetrameter
From "The Tyger," by William
Blake
....1.............2...............3.................4
TY ger..|..TY
ger..|..BURN
ning..|..BRIGHT
....1...............2...............3............4
IN the..|..FOR..ests..|..OF
the..|..NIGHT
These lines contain trochaic
feet—consisting of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable.
But the final foot of each line is incomplete, containing only a stressed
syllable. An incomplete foot at the end of a line is called catalexis,
and
bright and night are called
catalectic feet. The
meter of these lines is trochaic tetrameter—tetrameter because they each
contain three complete feet and one incomplete foot, for a total of four
feet. A complete foot at the end of a line is called acatalexis.
The final feet in the stanza under Mixed Meter With Iambic
Feet are all acatalectic.
|
