|
|
When poets and readers talk about "meter," they are talking about
rhythm.
A song's "time signature" describes a song's rhythm.
In poetry, the "verse foot" functions like a song's "time signature." |
| A "Verse Foot" is a unit that measures a poem's rhythm.
Each "Verse Foot" unit consists of a series of syllables that form a pattern based on which syllables are stressed and which are unstressed.
Some common "Verse Feet" are listed in the table below.
A dash (—) stands for an unstressed syllable. A slash-mark (/) stands for a stressed syllable. |
"Verse Foot"? |
Pay special attention to the sound links in the third column below.
Name of Verse Foot |
Symbol |
Example
|
|---|---|---|
| Iamb (Iambic) |
|
Meter needs a human voice, as this example shows. Click here: |
| Trochee (Trochaic) |
|
Dreams are vital musings. |
| Spondee (Spondaic) |
|
Time worn, space bound, the prisoner sleeps hard, dreams free, and lives too long. |
| Anapest (Anapestic) |
|
How painful rhythm feels if separated from the human voice. Click
here:
At the end of the day the quaint hush and soft gray of desire. |
| Dactyl (Dactylic) |
|
Time does not, hope cannot, dreams will not wait for you. |
*Adapted from Michael C. Smith, Writing Dangerous Poetry. Chicago: NTC, 1999.
With thanks to Terence Brunk for the idea of using readplease.com for the voices.
Return to Introduction to Poetry Page
Last modified February 17, 2001