Metric Variations
Poems with a well-defined overall metric pattern often have a few lines that violate that pattern. A common variation is the inversion of a foot, which turns an iamb ("da-DUM") into a trochee ("DUM-da"). Another common variation is a headless verse, which lacks the first syllable of the first foot. Yet a third variation is catalexis, where the end of a line is shortened by a foot, or two or part thereof - an example of this is at the end of each verse in Keats' 'La Belle Dame sans Merci':
- And on thy cheeks a fading rose (4 feet)
- Fast withereth too (2 feet)
| Foot type | Style | Stress pattern | Syllable count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iamb | Iambic | Unstressed + Stressed | Two |
| Trochee | Trochaic | Stressed + Unstressed | Two |
| Spondee | Spondaic | Stressed + Stressed | Two |
| Anapest | Anapestic | Unstressed + Unstressed + Stressed | Three |
| Dactyl | Dactylic | Stressed + Unstressed + Unstressed | Three |
| Amphibrach | Amphibrachic | Unstressed + Stressed + Unstressed | Three |
| Pyrrhic | Pyrrhic | Unstressed + Unstressed | Two |
Source: Cummings Study Guides
If there is one foot, it's called monometer; two feet, dimeter; three is trimeter; four is tetrameter; five is pentameter; six is hexameter, seven is heptameter and eight is octameter. For example, if the feet are iambs, and if there are five feet to a line, then it's called iambic pentameter. If the feet are primarily dactyls and there are six to a line, then it's dactylic hexameter.
Read more about this topic: Metre (poetry)
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