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Zero to Hero, a Guide - 6. Poetry Prompt 4 – Metre
Hang in there, guys. Deep breaths -- in and out; in and out
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Poetry Prompt 4 – Metre
Let's Write in various Metres! The Basics
What elevates a mere ramble of words to the level of verse? Metre is the answer. If a line goes:
I went to the store yesterday to buy a loaf of bread
It is ordinary. However, if the same words are reconsidered with an eye for flow and rhythm, you can achieve this:
To the store I went yesterday
To buy a loaf of bread.
Instantly there is melody. Music makes it poetic, and it has the power to reach out to a reader even though the content stays utterly ordinary. Now, don’t get me wrong; I said it was poetry, but not great poetry. It’s an example where the heart is purposefully not engaged so we can easily focus on the structure alone.
Considering these two versions of the same line, it’s arguable the first is soulless; the second one has potential for deeper allusions not yet revealed to the reader.
So now, let’s look at the specific rhythm our poetic example is displaying.
(to THE)(store I)(went YES)(ter-DAY)
(to BUY)(a LOAF)(of BREAD)
Clearly my breakdown exaggerates the natural flow, but I do it so you see the Metre. One way you will see poetic beats broken down is some combination of a dash and the letter u. In our example, each two-part beat in the parentheses would be shown like this: –U. The first word or sound is unaccented, or soft. The second one is stressed naturally when you read or say it in English. Think of this basic combination like the 0s and 1s of computer language, and when they are structured in poetry are called “a foot.” So, in our example above, how many metrical feet are there in the first line? How many in the second?[1]
The combination of –U is called iambic, or specifically, an iambic foot.[2] But let’s look at how the example can be rearranged again to form a different foot, for not only is –U possible, but so is U– where the stressed word or sound leads off.
(to BUY)(a LOAF)(of BREAD) = 3 iambic feet
(A loaf)(OF bread)(TO buy) = 3 trochee feet.
Time for examples in action. How about some famous couplets; Helen Hunt Jackson first.
Bee to the blossom, moth to the flame;
Each to his passion, what’s in a name.
And then why don’t we pick up something from ole Billy Shakespeare.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
How do these break down? Let me do them for you, but remember, soon you’ll be on your own and asked to do the same with new lines. However, Helen’s lines can be dissected to show us:
(BEE to)(THE blos)(SUM, moth)(TO the FLAME)
(EACH to)(HIS pas)(SHUN, what’s)(IN a NAME).
So, what are we looking at here? What kind of feet and how many? Well, we know the U– rhythm is a trochee, so we can see 3 trochees, but then the line ends with a three-beat rhythm. So now you see metrical feet can also contain a pattern like U–U, as in our example above. Not to be too technical and overload you with new terms, but this pattern is known as a cretic foot.
And Shakespeare’s example?
(if this be)(ER-ror)(and UP)(on me PROVED)
(i nev-ver)(WRIT nor)(no MAN)(ev-ver LOVED)
Whoa! I can see you shaking your head. You think I’ve gone off the deep end, but honestly, I think you can handle it. You are beginning to see lines in their metrical construction and get a feel for how the rhythms can vary based on what you need as ‘your music’ in the poem. That fact is, the combination and use of Metre is endless, just like the 0s and 1s of our computer language. The sky’s the limit on creativity and expression; Metre is a tool for you to use just like any other.
But specifically, what has Shakespeare done in this couplet? First off, we can see he built two equal lines of 4 metrical feet, beginning and ending each line with three beats. They break down as follows:
(if this be) = 1 tribrach foot
(ER-ror) = 1 trochee foot
(and UP) = 1 iambic foot
(on me PROVED) = 1 anapaest
The second line repeats this exact pattern, which I find extremely impressive, as the poet even creates an internal rhyme on ror-nor.
How do Metre and syllable counts in lines correspond? Shakespeare’s W.H. Sonnets are a marvel to study. He is no slave to iambic pentameter (a line with 5 perfect iambic feet), and oftentimes his lines will vary from strict Metre entirely with one extra syllable at the end. Naturally, that is all right; he showed what’s important in the poem is the emotional content, not being a dumb slave to a da-DUM rhythm. In this regard, there is no conflict between constructing lines of verse based on syllable counts, be is 5 and 7 for Japanese forms, or 6 and 8 for Lyric patterns, or the 10 and 12 of narrative poems like Sonnets and Ballades. A closer adherence to syllable counts is more desirable, while oftentimes a relentless march of da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM is an absolute hindrance to your message getting across. Please keep that in mind.
The study of Metre within the context of verse is called Prosody, and it’s a huge science all on its own. Knowing the endless list of names has little or nothing to do with writing good metrical poetry per se. It’s an abstract dissecting better left to scientific minds. What we as poets need is a feel for Metre, for I believe every poet worth his salt must gain a consciousness of it – especially to write free verse!!!! – but ultimately we must move beyond a slavish adherence to da-DUM, da-DUM to let our visions flow.
But thanks to the internet, the minutiae of Prosody is at the fingertips. The following webpages are good for varying reasons.
Here is an excellent and concise breakdown of the basic categories of Metre operating in the English language.
http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/meter.html
For this next item, the chart on the righthand side of this page shows an excellent summary of both two-part and three-part metrical feet. This is a handy guide to perhaps print out and tape in your poetry notebook.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretic
And finally, Wiki’s main article on Metre is exhaustive (lol), but only go there once you have a feel for how Metre works. The entry provides much too much information on the difference between English-language Metre and the original Greek and Latin models that inspired it. You can come back later, after you are a master
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metre_(poetry)
The Prompt: print out the following poem and read it out loud several times.[3] Then jot down the Metre you uncover, line by line, using the parentheses and (BOLD/un-bold) method from above. There is no right or wrong answer; it’s all up to how the rhythms sound to your ear. Then, after you have a metrical roadmap, write your own five-lined poem to match it. Don’t worry about the rhymes, in fact, don’t worry about anything. This is practice to get the mouth-feel of the stressed and unstressed syllables. Just start grouping words together to build up the patterns you uncovered. The goal is for your poem to have the same musical lilt as the original when read out loud.
Eternity
by Samuel Waddington
‘Of old,’ spake the priest; spake the parson and preacher –
‘After death, O my Friends, after death is Eternity.’
‘Not so,’ cries my Spirit, ‘not so, O wise teacher!
It was, and it is, and it ever shall be –
Now, now is Eternity! Is it for thee?’
[1] Four feet in the first line; three feet in the second. Each metrical foot is shown in parentheses.
[2] Thereby, we can tell our example has four iambic feet in the first line, and three iambic feet in the second.
[3] It’s essential you read it out loud. Your mission is to hear what the poem sounds like, not to judge it by what it looks like on the paper.
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Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are based on the authors' lives and experiences and may be changed to protect personal information. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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