Note: a syllable can be stressed (long) or unstressed (short).
A pyrrhic foot has two unstressed syllables, like the second foot of the following line:
The depths | of a | great woods | is home
To a | wolf pack | that once | did roam...
A spondee or spondaic foot is a foot with two stressed syllables, e.g., like "wolf pack" and "great woods" in the previous example.
An amphimacer is a three-syllabled foot, opposite the amphibrach, with an unstressed syllable in the middle, and stressed ones at both ends. Amphi is a combining form meaning both, both kinds, on both sides. This word amphimacer derives from amphi at both ends + the Greek makros meaning long, great.
An amphibrach is a three-syllabled foot with the stressed syllable in the middle, and unstressed ones at both ends, e.g., ennobling: en.nob.ling. Brachy is a combining form meaning short. The word comes from the Greek amphibrachys meaning short at both ends.
An anacrucis is an unexpected unstressed syllable at the beginning of a trochaic or dactylic line.
An initial truncation is the omitting of an expected unstressed syllable at the beginning of an iambic or anapestic line.
A catalexis is the omission of an unstressed syllable at the end of a trochaic or dactylic line, or at the beginning of an iambic or anapestic line, e.g., > Hail | to thee, | my ab | sent friend...
A pause sometimes takes the place of an
unstressed syllable:
Thunder here, < | thunder there <
A caesura is a natural break in a line according to the sense or punctuation. It may be within or at the end of the line. When at the end, the line is described as end-stopped. When the thought carries over to the next line without a pause or stop, it's called a run-on line.
Substitution is the using together of iambic and
anapestic feet which have a rising rhythm, or the using together of trochaic
or dactylic feet which have a falling rhythm. You'll substitute, say,
an
anapestic foot for one of the iambic feet. You'll note the
stress still
falls on the last syllable.
Inversion is a mixing of iambic with trochaic, or dactylic with anapestic feet. In other words, you mix feet that have stress at opposite ends.
From "Thou Art a Jewel":
Your pure and honest being,
And humility shine so bright!
There's prudence and kindly seeing,
Sparkling in our sight!
This preceding stanza of poetry is a mixture of
things. The
first line has iambic feet followed by an amphibrach:
|
Your pure | and ho | nest being |
The second and third lines mix anapestic and iambic
feet,
with another amphibrach:
| And humil | ity shines | so bright! |
| There's pru | dence and kind | ly seeing, |
The fourth line begins with "Sparkling"
which by itself
is a
trochaic foot. You can continue with its falling rhythm and
end up with
a catalexis.
Copyright © 2005 - John Riedell - All
Rights Reserved
Site Last Updated on 07/10/06