| Disyllables | |
|---|---|
| ˘ ˘ | pyrrhus, dibrach |
| ˘ ¯ | iamb |
| ¯ ˘ | trochee, choree |
| ¯ ¯ | spondee |
| Trisyllables | |
| ˘ ˘ ˘ | tribrach |
| ¯ ˘ ˘ | dactyl |
| ˘ ¯ ˘ | amphibrach |
| ˘ ˘ ¯ | anapest, antidactylus |
| ˘ ¯ ¯ | bacchius |
| ¯ ¯ ˘ | antibacchius |
| ¯ ˘ ¯ | cretic, amphimacer |
| ¯ ¯ ¯ | molossus |
| Number of feet per line | |
| one | Monometer |
| two | Dimeter |
| three | Trimeter |
| four | Tetrameter |
| five | Pentameter |
| six | Hexameter |
| seven | Heptameter |
| eight | Octameter |
| See main article for tetrasyllables. | |
Hexameter, in poetry, means a line or lines of verse consisting of six metrical feet.
Iambic hexameter[]
- Main article: Alexandrine
Iambic hexameter, the English 'Alexandrine' (named after the 12-syllable line in French poetry ), has been used oten in English poetry, although normally in conjunction with other lines. Alternating with lines of iambic hexameter, it was used to form poulter's measure.
As the concluding line to a nine-line stanza, following eight lines of iambic pentameter, it was used to form a Spenserian stanza.
A true Alexandrine requires a caesura or break (usually indicated by punctuation) at the exact half-way point
A line of verse written in that meter is sonically indistinguishable from two lines of iambic trimeter.
Dactylic hexameter[]
- This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks,
- Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight,
- (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "Evangeline")
(Scanned)
- THIS is the / FORest pri/MEval. The / MURmuring / PINES and the / HEMlocks,
- BEARded with / MOSS, and in / GARments / GREEN, indis/TINCT in the / TWIlight,
See also[]
External links[]
| Original Penny's Poetry Pages article, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0. |